M3M Foundation team and women entrepreneurs at the launch of the VyaPower Entrepreneurship Programme

The digital platform, being developed with the support of Fundink, represents the next phase of VyaPower, M3M Foundation's entrepreneurship development initiative designed to help individuals move from aspiration to enterprise and from enterprise to sustainable livelihoods.

Through the LMS, learners will be able to access structured, self-paced entrepreneurship training anytime and from anywhere. The digital format is particularly intended to overcome barriers of geography, time and access that often prevent aspiring entrepreneurs, especially women and youth in rural and underserved communities, from participating in conventional classroom-based programmes.
 

From Ideas to Sustainable Enterprises

VyaPower has been conceptualised as more than a training programme. It seeks to build an entrepreneurship development ecosystem that equips individuals with the practical knowledge, skills and confidence required to transform an idea, skill or livelihood activity into a viable enterprise.

The curriculum covers key stages of the entrepreneurial journey, including development of an entrepreneurial mindset, identification of business opportunities, business planning, understanding customers and markets, costing and pricing, financial management, marketing and branding, digital opportunities and strategies for managing and growing sustainable enterprises.
 

The initiative has already progressed through its capacity-building phase, including an intensive Training of Trainers (ToT) programme to create a pool of facilitators capable of taking entrepreneurship learning deeper into communities. The programme follows an idea-to-implementation approach, enabling participants to move beyond theoretical learning towards practically developing their business ideas.
 

The LMS will now allow this learning framework to be standardised, digitised and delivered at a much larger scale, while also enabling systematic learner engagement and progress tracking.
 

Empowering Rural Women and Grassroots Entrepreneurs

A key focus of VyaPower is to make entrepreneurship education accessible to rural and semi-urban women, including members of Self-Help Groups, community collectives, livelihood programmes and women already operating small or home-based enterprises.
 

Across communities, many women possess valuable skills, produce marketable products or have viable business ideas, but often lack access to financial literacy, business planning, branding, market knowledge and enterprise management support.

Through VyaPower, M3M Foundation seeks to help women transition from livelihood participants to entrepreneurs, producers and potential job creators, strengthening both household incomes and local economies.
 

Open to NGOs, Institutions and Community Organisations
Importantly, M3M Foundation is opening the VyaPower ecosystem to NGOs, educational institutions, SHGs, community-based organisations, livelihood organisations and other institutions that are working with aspiring entrepreneurs.
 

Such organisations can approach M3M Foundation to explore access to the VyaPower learning framework, capacity-building support and the Train-the-Trainer model, enabling them to take structured entrepreneurship education to their own communities and beneficiaries.
This collaborative model is expected to create a multiplier effect, where trained facilitators can support several aspiring entrepreneurs and, over time, successful entrepreneurs can create livelihoods and employment for others within their communities.
 

Technology to Take Entrepreneurship to the Last Mile

The LMS being developed with Fundink will serve as the digital backbone of VyaPower, enabling self-paced learning, structured progression across modules, standardisation of training content, learner progress tracking and integration of digital and community-based training.
 

Speaking on the launch, Dr. Payal Kanodia, Chairperson and Trustee, M3M Foundation, said, "India has tremendous entrepreneurial aspiration, particularly among its youth and women. What is often missing is access to structured knowledge, confidence, mentoring and the right ecosystem. Through VyaPower, we want to bridge this gap and enable people to translate their skills and ideas into sustainable enterprises."

"Digitalisation will allow us to take this knowledge far beyond the boundaries of a classroom. More importantly, we invite NGOs, institutions and grassroots organisations to partner with us and take VyaPower into their communities. Our larger ambition is to create a multiplier ecosystem of trainers, entrepreneurs and eventually job creators across India."

The launch on World Entrepreneurship Day reinforces M3M Foundation's belief that entrepreneurship can be a powerful driver of economic independence, dignity and local development. Through digital learning, capacity building and institutional partnerships, VyaPower aims to create a scalable platform that empowers individuals not only to seek opportunities, but to create enterprises, generate livelihoods and become job creators.
 

VyaPower — Powering Ideas. Creating Enterprises. Transforming Lives.
 

About M3M Foundation

M3M Foundation is the philanthropic and social development arm of M3M Group, working towards sustainable and inclusive development through interventions spanning education, livelihoods and entrepreneurship, healthcare, environment, sports and community development. The Foundation works with communities and partners to build capabilities, create opportunities and enable people to become increasingly self-reliant.

Rodic Consultants, one of India's leading infrastructure and engineering consultancies, has partnered with Nasscom to launch the Rodic InfraAI Innovation Challenge, a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence across India's infrastructure and strategic sectors. Supported by Startup India through outreach to DPIIT-recognised startups, the initiative seeks to bring together the country's rapidly expanding AI and deep-tech ecosystem to develop scalable, deployment-ready solutions for some of India's most pressing infrastructure challenges.

The Innovation Challenge marks the first milestone in a broader strategic partnership between Rodic Consultants and Nasscom to discover, nurture and deploy frontier AI technologies across live infrastructure projects in India. By combining Rodic’s extensive domain expertise, real-world project environments and infrastructure problem statements with Nasscom’s innovation ecosystem, while leveraging Startup India’s outreach to DPIIT-recognised startups, the partnership aims to bridge the gap between technological innovation and on-ground implementation and create pathways for promising AI solutions to be tested, validated and scaled across real-world infrastructure applications.

Unlike conventional innovation programs built around hypothetical use cases, the National AI Innovation Challenge is anchored in real-world infrastructure challenges drawn from Rodic's live projects. Participating startups will gain access to actual project contexts, enabling them to develop practical solutions with a clear pathway from concept validation to pilot implementation and eventual commercial deployment.

The inaugural edition of the Challenge will focus on four priority themes aligned with India's infrastructure needs. AI on India Energy Stack invites innovators to build solutions leveraging the Ministry of Power's emerging digital public infrastructure for the energy sector. AI for Roads, Bridges and Tunnels focuses on applications such as asset monitoring, defect detection, predictive maintenance and construction intelligence. Climate-Resilient Infrastructure seeks AI-driven solutions to strengthen roads, railways and transmission networks against floods, landslides and extreme heat. The fourth theme, GenAI for Public Works and Citizen Benefit Delivery, aims to improve access to public services and government health entitlements through multilingual AI-powered platforms.

Speaking on the partnership, Raj Kumar, CMD Rodic Consultants and CEO Rodic digital Advisory said, "India is at an inflection point where artificial intelligence can fundamentally transform how infrastructure is planned, built and managed. At Rodic, we have spent a considerable time working inside the country's most complex highways, bridges, tunnels and urban infrastructure programmes, and we know exactly where technology can make the biggest difference on the ground. Through our partnership with Nasscom, we are creating a platform that connects India's brightest AI innovators with real infrastructure challenges, not hypothetical ones. Our objective is to identify technologies that can be tested, deployed and scaled across live projects, accelerating India's digital transformation while building infrastructure that is smarter, safer and more resilient for the decades ahead."

Sharing his thoughts, Ankit Bose, Head of AI, Nasscom, said, "Infrastructure is the backbone of India's growth story, and AI has the power to reshape how it is built and maintained. The InfraAI Innovation Challenge gives tech startups access to real industry problem statements, expert mentorship and a genuine pathway to deployment. By combining Nasscom’s innovation ecosystem with Rodic's deep infrastructure expertise, we hope to accelerate practical AI adoption that delivers measurable impact across India's infrastructure landscape, while giving the country's deep-tech founders a stage where their work can truly move the needle."

The Challenge has been conceived as more than a startup competition. It is a long-term innovation platform connecting emerging AI companies with industry, enabling promising technologies to be tested, refined and deployed within live infrastructure environments. 

High-potential startups emerging from the Challenge will have the opportunity to advance into Rodic's Pilot Partnership Program, where selected solutions are validated on live projects before progressing towards commercial deployment. The partnership also envisages strategic investment in select startups as part of Rodic's long-term innovation roadmap.

Rodic Consultants has played a significant role in shaping the country's development across highways, bridges, tunnels, urban infrastructure, water, hydropower, energy, railways, metros and smart technologies. Through this collaboration, the company aims to systematically identify, validate and scale artificial intelligence, Generative AI, hardware and software innovations capable of addressing complex infrastructure challenges, creating growth opportunities for India's startup ecosystem and strengthening the country's position in AI-led infrastructure development.

About Nasscom
Nasscom represents the voice of over USD 300bn technology industry in India with the vision to establish the nation as the world's leading technology ecosystem. Boasting a diverse and influential community of over 3500 member companies, our network spans the entire spectrum of the industry from DeepTech and AI startups to multinationals and from products to services, Global Capability Centres to Engineering firms. Guided by our vision, our strategic imperatives are to accelerate skilling at scale for future-ready talent, strengthen the innovation quotient across industry verticals, create new market opportunities – both international and domestic, drive policy advocacy to advance innovation and ease of doing business, and build the industry narrative with a focus on Trust, and innovation. And, in everything we do, we will continue to champion the need for diversity and equal opportunity.

For more details visit our website nasscom.in or write to us at: comms@nasscom.in 

TimbuckDo Partners with IdeaBaaz Startup Fest to Create Rs. 25 Lakh Worth of Earning Opportunities for 100+ Students
 

The partnership marks a significant milestone in TimbuckDo’s journey with IdeaBaaz. From appearing on the show as a startup seeking funding to now becoming a partner supporting one of its next major initiatives, TimbuckDo’s evolution reflects its growing role in India’s startup and youth employment ecosystem.
 

As the Workforce Partner, TimbuckDo will facilitate gig opportunities for 100+ students across various roles during the festival, enabling them to earn while gaining first-hand exposure to the startup ecosystem. Through the partnership, TimbuckDo has created Rs. 25 lakh worth of earning opportunities for students in just five days, demonstrating the potential of gig work to connect young talent with large-scale business and ecosystem opportunities.
 

Through the initiative, students will work alongside startups, entrepreneurs, investors, and other ecosystem stakeholders, gaining a close view of what it takes to build, operate and execute within a large-scale startup environment. The experience will help students develop practical skills while creating a bridge between education and the professional world.
 

For TimbuckDo, the partnership extends its larger mission to champion student gig work and bring students into the mainstream economy through meaningful real-world opportunities. By enabling students to actively contribute to startup events and ecosystem initiatives, TimbuckDo aims to create a pathway where young talent can learn, earn, and participate in the growth of businesses and entrepreneurial communities.
 

The association also highlights the evolution of TimbuckDo’s relationship with IdeaBaaz. Having previously appeared on IdeaBaaz as a startup seeking funding, TimbuckDo is now contributing to the ecosystem as a partner creating opportunities for the next generation of talent through the same platform that was once part of its own entrepreneurial journey.
 

Commenting on the partnership, Mythri Kumar, Co-founder and CEO, TimbuckDo, said, “IdeaBaaz has been an important part of TimbuckDo’s journey. From appearing on the show as a startup seeking funding to now partnering on one of its next big initiatives is a very meaningful milestone for us. Through the IdeaBaaz Startup Fest, we are creating Rs. 25 lakh worth of earning opportunities for more than 100 students in just five days, allowing them to earn, work, and experience the startup ecosystem from the inside. We believe student gig work can play a powerful role in bringing young talent into the mainstream economy and entrepreneurship ecosystem. When students get the opportunity to work alongside startups and entrepreneurs, they get a close view of what it really takes to build and grow a business. This partnership is about creating meaningful value for students by giving them the opportunity to earn, gain practical experience, build confidence and understand the startup ecosystem from within. We see this as a strong reflection of what TimbuckDo stands for creating opportunities that enable students to learn, earn and grow. We see this as a great value proposition for student onboarding in September.”
 

Jeet Wagh & Mudit Kumar, Co-founders, IdeaBaaz, said, “Seeing TimbuckDo, one of the startups from Season 1, now come on board as the Workforce Partner for the IdeaBaaz Startup Fest is a full-circle moment for us. It reflects what we have always believed at IdeaBaaz our relationship with founders should not end when the show does. As we take IdeaBaaz from the screen to a live startup ecosystem in Delhi, it is exciting to have founders from our first season become partners in building what comes next. This partnership with TimbuckDo echoes our commitment to staying invested in the startup ecosystem and creating opportunities for founders beyond the show.”
 

The partnership makes students active participants in the IdeaBaaz Startup Fest rather than passive attendees. By contributing to the execution of the festival, students will gain exposure to the people, processes, and opportunities that shape the startup ecosystem.
 

For TimbuckDo, the partnership represents a broader vision for how student gig work can become an entry point into the professional world helping students build practical experience, understand entrepreneurship up close and develop the skills and networks needed to navigate the world of work.
 

The partnership brings together students, startups, entrepreneurs and the wider startup ecosystem, creating a model where young talent can earn, learn and contribute while businesses and ecosystem platforms gain access to a new generation of talent.
 

About TimbuckDo
Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Bengaluru, TimbuckDo Innovations Pvt Ltd is a student gig and growth platform that empowers India's youth to earn, learn, and grow. Co-founded by Mythri Kumar and Apoorv Sharma Prasad, the company connects students with verified part-time gigs, internships, and project-based opportunities while also offering financial literacy tools, lifestyle benefits, and upskilling resources. TimbuckDo's mission is to bridge the gap between education and employability by creating a trusted ecosystem where students gain practical exposure, financial independence, and career readiness during their academic journey.

GDAI’s Supernova bridges the gap in India’s Indie game development segment of access to structured mentorship, venture funding, publishers, and guidance on integrating AI into production pipelines. The incubation program is developed with global industry partners like Tencent, PhonePe’s Indus Appstore, 1312 Interactive, Sanchi Connect and more, making it one of the largest programs facilitated by GDAI to enable ecosystem growth. In its inaugural year, Supernova will support 40 high-potential studios selected nationally, with applications opening today.

Designed for studios across different stages of development, from student teams and early prototypes to publisher-ready and investment-ready companies, the incubation program will provide founders with stage-specific mentorship from experienced game industry leaders, publisher and investor readiness support, and AI-focused game development workflows and technical guidance. The program also offers business, legal and IP advisory, cloud infrastructure, startup tools and technology benefits, and direct connections to publishers, platform holders and ecosystem partners.

According to Mintegral's India Gaming Growth Outlook 2026, India has one of the world's largest gaming audiences; the next challenge is enabling studios to scale sustainably through better publishing, growth, monetisation, and access to global markets. As per the MIXI Global Investments’ India’s State of Play report, India’s gaming market is maturing with combined in-app and advertising revenue projected to reach USD 2.4 billion by 2029. GDAI’s Supernova incubation program will aid India’s expanding developer ecosystem of more than 2000 companies employing 130,000 talented professionals, and GDAI’s vision to create 2 million+ jobs in gaming by 2034.  

Speaking on the launch, Rajan Navani, Board Member and Chairperson, GDAI Incubation Subcommittee, added, “India has all the ingredients to become a global powerhouse for game development, be it creative talent or entrepreneurial energy, and a rapidly growing domestic market. The next phase of growth will depend on our ability to help founders build sustainable studios capable of creating globally successful IP. Supernova is an important step towards building that long-term ecosystem."

Shruti Verma, CEO, GDAI, said, “Over the past few months, our conversations with founders across India have revealed a common set of challenges. Many studios struggle to move from building games to building sustainable businesses, securing publisher access, raising growth capital, adopting AI-driven production workflows, and navigating the path from prototype to commercial success. Through Supernova, we're bringing together mentorship, publishing access, AI expertise and industry networks to help founders build investment-ready, globally competitive game studios." 

The incubator will conclude with a Demo Day at the India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) 2026, where participating studios will showcase their games to publishers, investors and industry leaders from India and around the world.

The first cohort will be announced by August 2026. The last day to apply is 31st July 2026. Interested studios may apply here.

About GDAI
The Game Developer Association of India (GDAI) is India’s apex industry body for the video gaming ecosystem and a non-profit organisation that unites game developers across every state into one shared national ecosystem. GDAI is committed to enabling business opportunities, upskilling of talent, and shaping policy framework with the government to position India as a global hub for game development. GDAI is supporting the journey from individual talent to strong studios with access to global markets, incubating 5,000 game start-ups and impacting 25,000+ students nationwide in choosing games as a career.

DUSQ Founders - From L-R Top row Hrithik Jaiswal, Animesh Kumar, Gursakhi Lugani, Front Row Shalmali Kadu, Dr. Siddhant Bhargava, Mitansh Khurana

The company did not attempt to fit into the well-established category of trackers that others like Oura, Whoop and Garmin gained their footing in. Instead, they developed the world's first closed-loop sleep regulation system that takes care of every moment integral to a good night's sleep. The company's behind-the-ear sleep regulation device was built, tested, and clinically trialled entirely out of an in-house sleep lab. Now, it is being shipped to American backers ahead of a broader US rollout planned for September 2026.

The milestone places DUSQ among a small number of Indian consumer hardware companies to win meaningful early traction in the US market, and comes less than two years after the company secured a three-Shark deal on Shark Tank India. On Kickstarter specifically, DUSQ has surpassed every previous Indian health tech company on the platform, including Ultrahuman, whose original Ring campaign raised approximately USD 500,000 in total. As DUSQ scales toward its US retail launch, the company is simultaneously expanding its India-based team, with more than 60 open roles across engineering, design, biotech, and growth functions.

A hard problem, solved out of India

At just 12 grams and 7.2 millimetres, DUSQ's closed-loop sleep regulation system works from wind-down to wake-up. It sits behind the ear, reads the autonomic nervous system in real time, and responds the moment sleep is disrupted, delivering adaptive vagus and vestibular nerve stimulation to guide the body back into deeper sleep before the sleeper ever knows something went wrong. Every other sleep device on the market tells you what happened the night before. DUSQ changes what happens during it.

The science behind that claim was built entirely in-house. DUSQ's proprietary sleep lab has collected more than 50 million physiological data points. The company has completed one clinical trial with a second currently underway, holds CDSCO certification in India, and deploys an FDA-cleared stimulation modality for insomnia. The results from its double-blind, controlled trials are the kind that make the category sit up: 31 per cent more deep sleep. 38 percent improvement in heart rate variability. 22 per cent fewer night awakenings.

Central to DUSQ's approach is SQ, or Sleep Quotient, their proprietary metric measuring the body's capacity to produce sleep, in contrast to traditional sleep scores that only describe what has already occurred. Building SQ required the kind of full-stack work — sensor hardware, signal processing, biostatistics, and real-time intervention algorithms - that is rare to assemble inside a single Indian startup.

From Shark Tank to a US Kickstarter record

DUSQ's US debut followed more than 2,000 first-generation commercial users in India and a Kickstarter waitlist exceeding 10,000 people. The company's USD 1 million-plus opening places it among the fastest Indian-founded hardware companies to hit that mark on the platform, and signals that a science-first, India-built medtech product can compete directly in one of the world's most saturated consumer health markets.

"We did not enter a category. We built one. From India. That is what these million dollars represent, not a product win, a category win," said Dr. Siddhant Bhargava, Co-founder and CEO of DUSQ,  who is also a physician.

"Sleep is too personal to be sold through hype. Most brands borrow desire from culture; we had to build our own. A million-dollar opening tells us people were willing to believe in a future of sleep they hadn't experienced yet," said Gursakhi Lugani, Chief Taste Officer at DUSQ.

The company's seed round of approximately USD 3 million was led by Fireside Ventures, one of India's largest consumer venture capital firms, with participation from Antler India and Climber Capital.

Now hiring and building the next phase from India

With its US retail launch a month away, DUSQ is expanding its India-based team across more than 50 open roles spanning hardware engineering, embedded systems, signal processing, biotech, product design, content, growth, customer success, sleep coaching, and operations.

DUSQ is looking for people who want to work on problems that lack existing playbooks, whether that means building closed-loop biological systems from scratch, creating content for a category that has never been explained before, or supporting a community of users experiencing something genuinely new.

"The problems we are solving here do not exist as job descriptions anywhere else. We are building the sensing, stimulation, and intelligence layers simultaneously on real human physiology in real time. If that sounds hard, it is. That is exactly the point," said Mitansh Khurana, who leads technology at DUSQ.

"Some of the most important problems cannot be solved by engineering alone or science alone. They require curiosity, empathy, and the willingness to work across disciplines. That intersection is where we choose to build every day," said Shalmali Kadu, who leads product at DUSQ.

"I have helped scale consumer brands to nine figures in revenue, and I have never seen a product where the technology this early actually matches the ambition of the pitch," said Ronak Shah, Growth Advisor at DUSQ. "If you want to build something that has to work, not just look good in a deck, this is the place to do it."

DUSQ's open roles are listed on the company's careers page, with a focus on candidates based in India who want to work on a product now live and selling in the US market.

About DUSQ

Founded in 2023 by Dr. Siddhant Bhargava, Shalmali Kadu, and Mitansh Khurana, DUSQ is a sleep science and recovery company. Grounded in a regulation-first hypothesis and backed by over 50 million physiological data points, the company combines neuroscience and hardware design to define a new category in sleep technology. DUSQ is headquartered in India and is preparing for its global launch, starting with the United States.

MBM Co-founders Club by Marwari Catalysts Group Selects First Three Startups, Next Batch to Open Soon
 

The first cohort of the programme has already generated an overwhelming response, with nearly 60 startup applications received from MBM alumni representing diverse sectors and geographies.
 

To evaluate the applications, a screening committee was constituted under the leadership of Vipul Kocher, President of the MBM Alumni Association, comprising Virendra Gupta, Abhishek Kumbhat, Jhilmil Kochar and Sushil Sharma (Founder- Marwari Catalysts). After a rigorous evaluation process, three high-potential startups have been selected for the inaugural cohort. The names of the selected startups will be announced shortly.
 

The selected startups will receive strategic support in the form of funding opportunities, one-on-one mentorship from successful founders and industry experts, business scaling guidance, investor connect, market access and global exposure through the extensive ecosystem of Marwari Catalysts Group.
 

In addition, Marwari Catalysts will provide startup acceleration credits worth nearly USD 200,000, including AWS credits, cloud infrastructure, AI and developer tools, software subscriptions and other technology resources that will help founders build and scale their businesses more efficiently.
 

The programme will also facilitate participation in international startup delegations, investor interactions and global business networks, enabling founders from Jodhpur to explore opportunities beyond India.
 

Following the announcement of the first cohort, applications for the second batch of the MBM Co-founders Club will be invited. The organisers expect an even stronger response from MBM alumni entrepreneurs across India and overseas, reflecting the growing enthusiasm for alumni-led entrepreneurship.
 

The initiative is expected to foster a vibrant startup culture within MBM University, benefiting not only alumni founders but also current students, researchers and aspiring entrepreneurs. It is also expected to strengthen the innovation ecosystem of Jodhpur and Western Rajasthan by encouraging more technology-led ventures and job creators.
 

Speaking on the initiative, Sushil Sharma, Founder, Marwari Catalysts Group and a member of the screening committee, said, "MBM has produced exceptional engineers, innovators and business leaders over several decades. Through the MBM Co-founders Club, our objective is to create a structured platform where alumni founders receive access to capital, mentorship, industry networks and global opportunities. This initiative is about building a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem that will continue to create successful startups for years to come."
 

Vipul Kocher, President of the MBM Alumni Association, said, "Our alumni network is one of MBM's greatest strengths. The Co-founders Club brings together successful alumni from across industries and geographies to support fellow entrepreneurs. We believe this initiative will inspire more MBM graduates to pursue entrepreneurship and contribute towards innovation-led economic growth."
 

One of the defining strengths of the initiative is the remarkable support extended by the MBM alumni community. Alumni from across India as well as the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Dubai have come forward to mentor founders, facilitate investments and open global business networks for the selected startups.
 

Over the decades, MBM has produced several distinguished leaders who have made their mark in government, technology, manufacturing, infrastructure and entrepreneurship. Notable alumni include Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister; Dr. Prem Shanker Goel, eminent space scientist and Padma Shri awardee; Sunil Chordia, Chairman & Managing Director of Rajratan Global Wire Ltd.; Pratik Patel, Chairman & Managing Director of Jash Engineering Ltd.; and several accomplished entrepreneurs and business leaders across India and overseas. Their continued engagement with the institution reflects the enduring strength of the MBM alumni network.
 

With the launch of the MBM Co-founders Club, Marwari Catalysts Group and the MBM Alumni Association aim to create one of India's strongest alumni-led startup platforms, helping transform innovative ideas from MBM alumni into globally competitive enterprises while strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Jodhpur, Western Rajasthan and beyond.

Marwari Catalysts Group to Build Elara Healthcare as a Future-Ready Mother and Child Care Network

Moving from an IVF-industry-focused approach to a broader mother and child care vision, Elara Healthcare aims to build an integrated healthcare ecosystem covering women's wellness, fertility and infertility care, pregnancy support, mother and child health, nutrition guidance, preventive care, wellness programs and patient education. IVF and infertility services will continue to remain a key vertical within the platform, while the overall focus will expand towards complete care for women, mothers and children.

As part of its future expansion roadmap, Marwari Catalysts Group plans to develop Elara Healthcare across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal, followed by proposed international opportunities in Africa and Gulf. These expansion plans are future-oriented and will be executed in phases through collaborations with hospitals, healthcare professionals, wellness partners, doctors and strategic institutions.

The vision behind Elara Healthcare is to create a trusted mother and child care network that combines clinical excellence with affordability, compassion, preventive healthcare, technology-enabled systems and standardized delivery. The platform will focus on serving Tier-II and Tier-III cities, where access to organized mother and child healthcare, fertility care and women's wellness services remains limited or fragmented.

To strengthen its mother and child healthcare ecosystem, Elara Healthcare has signed MoUs with Nuskha Kitchen and Hobfit for the betterment of women's health, mother and child wellness, yoga, exercise, nutrition and proper diet support. These collaborations are aimed at building a holistic care model where medical services are supported by lifestyle, diet, fitness and wellness interventions.

Speaking about the vision, Sushil Sharma, Founder & CEO of Marwari Catalysts Group, Executive Director, BRICS CCI, Convenor, ESC Rajasthan Chapter and also Co-Chair Startup Vertical, Rotary District 3053 (2026–27) said, "Marwari Catalysts has always believed that impactful and globally scalable businesses can emerge from Tier-II and Tier-III India. Through Elara Healthcare, we are building a future-ready mother and child care platform that will include fertility, IVF and infertility care as part of a much larger healthcare vision. Our focus is to create an affordable, trusted and standardized healthcare brand for women, mothers, children and families. Rajasthan will be a key starting market, and we plan to expand across Haryana, Punjab, Himachal and, in the future, explore Africa and Gulf and BRICS Countries as international opportunities."

He further added that the Venture Studio Model enables Marwari Catalysts Group to support founders with strategic leadership, operational expertise, branding, fundraising and access to national and international networks, helping healthcare ventures scale faster while maintaining quality, governance and patient trust.

Dr. Renu Sharma, Founder & Director of Elara Healthcare, said the objective is to build a holistic healthcare platform for women and families, "During my years of working in fertility and women's healthcare, I realised that families in smaller cities need much more than only IVF treatment. They need guidance, ethical medical care, emotional support, nutrition, wellness, preventive care and reliable mother and child healthcare services closer to home. Elara Healthcare is being designed with this broader vision. IVF and infertility services will remain an important part of our work, but our larger focus will be on complete women, mother and child care."

She added that the organisation will continue to invest in experienced medical professionals, fertility specialists, embryologists, mother and child healthcare experts, wellness partners, technology systems and continuous training to maintain consistent standards across every future centre and collaboration.

Gajendra Singh, Director of Elara Healthcare, said the expansion strategy will focus on building a sustainable healthcare ecosystem rather than only increasing the number of centres, "Healthcare expansion requires strong systems, quality assurance and operational excellence. Elara Healthcare will be built on standardized processes, technology-enabled monitoring, patient-centric services and transparent governance. Our aim is to create a trusted network that supports women, mothers, children and families through every stage of care."

Supporting Elara Healthcare's future growth is an experienced ecosystem of healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, strategic investors and global business leaders. Among them is Vijendra Singh, a globally experienced technology executive, strategic investor and mentor whose expertise in digital transformation, business scaling and organizational leadership will contribute to the platform's long-term growth.

The initiative further strengthens Marwari Catalysts Group's healthcare portfolio, which already includes ventures such as Sarathi Healthcare, Nuskha Kitchen and One Dose. Through Elara Healthcare, the Group aims to build a wider healthcare platform that solves real-world challenges for women and families while creating sustainable economic and social impact.

Looking ahead, Marwari Catalysts Group plans to collaborate with leading doctors, mother and child hospitals, fertility specialists, wellness partners, healthcare institutions and strategic partners to accelerate Elara Healthcare's future expansion. The proposed international roadmap covering South Africa and Dubai also reflects the Group's ambition to build an Indian healthcare brand with global relevance.

With Rajasthan marking an important beginning and future expansion planned across Haryana, Punjab, Himachal, South Africa and Dubai, Elara Healthcare is envisioned as a trusted mother and child care network that brings together medical care, wellness, nutrition, fertility services and compassionate patient support under one platform.

About Marwari Catalysts Group

Marwari Catalysts Group is one of India's leading startup ecosystem builders, with a portfolio of more than 100 startups across healthcare, technology, consumer, manufacturing and sustainability sectors. Through its Venture Studio Model, the Group partners with visionary founders by providing strategic guidance, operational expertise, branding, fundraising support and access to national and global markets. The Group remains committed to building scalable ventures from Tier-II and Tier-III India that create lasting economic and social impact Local to Global.

Jodhpur Emerges as One of India's Fastest Growing Startup Hubs Marwari Catalysts' plays a vital role in this Ecosystem

According to industry estimates and ecosystem stakeholders, startups founded from Jodhpur have collectively attracted investments exceeding Rs. 2,500 crore over the years. With increasing investor confidence, stronger institutional support and expanding access to domestic and international markets, ecosystem leaders believe the city's startup community has the potential to attract Rs. 3,000–5,000 crore in cumulative investments over the coming years, creating thousands of high-quality jobs and contributing significantly to Rajasthan's innovation economy.

Jodhpur Emerges as One of India's Fastest Growing Startup Hubs Marwari Catalysts' plays a vital role in this Ecosystem

Prominent institutions like IIT, NLU, AIIMS, MBM University, Rajasthan Agricultural University, Rajasthan Ayurveda University, FDDI etc are playing a vital role in this eco system. 

Known across the world for its majestic Mehrangarh Fort, rich cultural heritage and thriving handicrafts industry, Jodhpur is now earning recognition for a new identity—that of a rapidly emerging startup and innovation hub. Over the past few years, the Blue City has witnessed an unprecedented rise in entrepreneurial activity, with founders building globally competitive ventures, investors backing local innovation and educational institutions actively supporting research-led entrepreneurship.

The transformation has been driven by a collaborative ecosystem comprising academia, industry, investors, successful entrepreneurs and ecosystem enablers. Together, they have created an environment where aspiring founders can access mentorship, incubation, funding, strategic partnerships and global market opportunities without leaving their hometown.

One of the defining milestones in Jodhpur's entrepreneurial journey came nearly six years ago when Marwari Catalysts became one of the pioneering organisations in Rajasthan.

To strengthen startup ecosystem development, laying the foundation for structured incubation, acceleration, mentoring and investor engagement in the region. This early intervention helped infuse a startup culture in Jodhpur and encouraged a new generation of young innovators to pursue entrepreneurship as a career.

Over the past six years, Marwari Catalysts has incubated, accelerated, mentored And supported more than 200 startups, providing them access to investors, experienced mentors, corporates, government initiatives and international business opportunities. Many of these ventures have successfully scaled their operations, generated employment and expanded beyond India.

Recognising that entrepreneurship flourishes through collaboration, Marwari Catalysts also established Startup Club Jodhpur, a community platform dedicated to aspiring founders, students and innovators. The club has organised eight founder meet-and-greet preincubation sessions, bringing together more than 500+ entrepreneurs for expert talks, networking opportunities, mentorship interactions and startup pitch presentations. The initiative has become an important platform for exchanging ideas, discovering opportunities and inspiring young entrepreneurs to launch new ventures.

Today, Jodhpur's entrepreneurial landscape spans a wide spectrum of sectors including education, healthcare, financial services, artificial intelligence, climate technology, enterprise software, manufacturing, consumer brands and media. The city's success is reflected in the growing number of startups and enterprises that have built nationally and internationally recognised businesses from Jodhpur.

Speaking about the city's transformation, Sushil Sharma, Chairman, Marwari Catalysts Group, Executive Director, BRICS CCI, Convenor, ESC Rajasthan Chapter and also Co-Chair Startup Vertical, Rotary District 3053 (2026–27) said, "Six years ago, very few people associated Jodhpur with startups. Today, the city has become a vibrant centre of entrepreneurship where founders are building companies that are solving real-world problems and attracting national as well as international attention. Our association with Startup India, the development of Startup Club Jodhpur and our continuous efforts to connect founders with investors, mentors and global markets have helped create an ecosystem where innovation can flourish. We believe the next decade belongs to Tier-II and Tier-III cities, and Jodhpur is well positioned to become one of India's leading startup destinations."

Gaurav Parulkar, CEO, IIT Jodhpur Technology Innovation and Start-up Center (IITJ-TISC), said, "The success of any startup ecosystem depends on strong collaboration between academia, research, innovators and industry. Jodhpur has made significant progress in this direction. Organisations like Marwari Catalysts have played an important role in bridging innovators with mentors, investors and markets, enabling startups to commercialise technologies and build sustainable businesses."

Professor (Dr.) Govind Sahay Shukla, Vice Chancellor, Dr. S.N. Rajasthan Ayurveda University, said, "Innovation today extends beyond information technology. Healthcare, Ayurveda, biotechnology and wellness are witnessing rapid entrepreneurial growth. The evolving startup ecosystem in Jodhpur is encouraging researchers, students and professionals to transform scientific knowledge into impactful enterprises. Such collaborations are essential for creating sustainable economic development while preserving India's traditional knowledge systems."

Vipul Kochar, President, MBM Alumni Association, said, "Jodhpur has always produced outstanding engineers, technologists and professionals. What has changed over the past few years is the availability of an ecosystem that empowers them to become entrepreneurs. The combined efforts of educational institutions, alumni networks, investors and organisations like Marwari Catalysts have created an environment where young innovators have the confidence and support to build companies from Rajasthan with global aspirations."

Industry experts believe Jodhpur's remarkable entrepreneurial journey demonstrates the immense potential of India's Tier-II and Tier-III cities. With continued collaboration between academia, government, investors, industry and ecosystem enablers, the city is steadily emerging as one of North-West India's most influential innovation centres.

As India enters the next phase of its startup revolution, Jodhpur is increasingly being recognised as a model for regional innovation-led development—showing how visionary leadership, institutional collaboration and community-driven entrepreneurship can transform a heritage city into a globally connected startup hub.

SIG Tattva, the Corporate Venture Capital and Innovation arm of Somany Impresa Group, in partnership with Pontaq Ventures, successfully conducted a two-day Founder Immersion & Start-up Workshop on June 24^th & 25^th June, 2026, at the manufacturing facilities of AGI Greenpac Limited, one of the Group companies of Somany Impresa Group and India’s leading glass packaging manufacturer. The program brought together start-up founders, investors, and industry leaders to strengthen collaboration between start-ups and the manufacturing ecosystem through an immersive shop-floor visit on Day 1 and a start-up-focused workshop on Day 2, fostering knowledge exchange, industry insights, and opportunities for innovation-led partnerships.

Founders, industry leaders, investors and mentors come together at India's first Manufacturing-Tech Founder Workshop by SIG Tattva

The workshop brought together 8 carefully selected deep-tech start-up founders from Pontaq’s portfolio for an immersive, outcome-oriented engagement with the manufacturing operations of SIG Tattva and AGI Greenpac.

Unlike conventional start-up showcases or what the industry privately calls ‘innovation theatre’, this was a structured workshopping model: founders walked the shop floor, observed live manufacturing processes firsthand, co-developed solutions alongside department heads, and presented a pilot project to the C-suite for evaluation. This is widely regarded as a first-of-its-kind model for AGI Greenpac and among the few such initiatives in India's manufacturing ecosystem, where a manufacturing company has moved beyond pitch-deck-based start-up engagement to structured, outcome-driven, merit-based collaboration on the factory floor.

The two-day programme was structured for maximum immersion and outcomes. On Day 1, founders participated in introductory sessions with leadership teams from AGI Greenpac, SIG Tattva, and Pontaq, followed by guided factory walkthroughs led by department heads who briefed them on live operational challenges.

The start-up founders then worked independently and collaboratively before presenting their solutions to AGI Greenpac and SIG Tattva’s C-suite. Their presentation was followed by a detailed Q&A to establish the viability of solutions proposed. The programme concluded with the evaluation and awarding of PoC pilot engagements assessed on merit, milestone readiness, and potential for full-scale commercial deployment.

The 8 participating start-ups were shortlisted from a pool of over 20, drawn from Pontaq’s portfolio of approximately 180 start-ups, and selected based on thesis alignment with AGI Greenpac’s manufacturing-tech priorities spanning AI/ML, industrial automation, robotics, energy management, quality inspection, emissions control, supply chain traceability, and cybersecurity.

The participating start-ups and their founders were:

• Novorbis Itus — Harsh Neekhra (Founder & CEO). Patented industrial emission control and pollution reduction systems for manufacturing environments.

• Kredily — Devendra Khandegar (Founder & CEO). AI-driven HRMS platform; brings deep fintech and investment expertise to operational efficiency challenges.

• Cairovision — Vedpal Singh / VP Singh (Founder). AI and computer vision-powered video analytics solutions for industrial sectors including manufacturing, energy, and logistics.

• mSense AI — Surekha Gupta (Co-founder & CBO) and Shiv Shankar Maurya (Co-founder & CEO). AI-powered quality inspection through computer vision and acoustic intelligence for manufacturing lines.

• Maxbyte Technologies — Ramshankar C.S. (Co-founder & CEO). Industry 4.0 and digital transformation solutions covering industrial automation, robotics, and decarbonisation.

• Presage Insights — Atul Sharma (Co-founder). AI and IoT-powered predictive maintenance and asset performance management to reduce industrial downtime.

• Goat Robotics — Muthu Vangaliappan (Co-founder & CEO) and Mugesh S (Co-founder & MD). Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) for industrial applications and intralogistics.

• Borlaug Web Services — Ayon Hazra (Founder & CEO). Blockchain-based supply chain transparency, carbon accounting, and sustainability traceability solutions.

The two-day workshop culminated in the awarding of PoC engagements worth INR 75 Lakhs to 5 deep-tech start-ups, spanning AMRs, computer vision, emission control, predictive maintenance, and logistics.

This workshop is the first in what AGI Greenpac and SIG Tattva intend to build as an ongoing, repeatable open innovation programme extending beyond Pontaq to include other leading VC funds.

Shashvat Somany, Founder, SIG Tattva, said, “The future of innovation lies in breaking down the barriers between start-ups and industry. For too long, founders have been expected to solve industrial challenges without direct access to the environments where those challenges exist. My vision is to democratise start-ups access to the shop floor, where the action really takes place. ‘Floor to Future’ is India’s first initiative to create a platform where start-ups, operators, and business leaders collaborate closely. This is the exact kind of structured, outcome-driven collaboration that accelerates successful pilots and drives long-term value creation for both start-ups and corporates. Through this initiative, we aim to bridge that gap by opening up SIG’s manufacturing ecosystem to entrepreneurs.”

Sriharsha Bandaluppi, Head, SIG Tattva, said, " As an operator-led venture platform, our focus is on creating pathways from innovation to implementation. We believe this model can redefine corporate-start-up collaboration—moving away from superficial conversations and pitch decks toward real problem-solving, real pilots, and real outcomes. In the first chapter of 'Floor to Future,' we partnered with Pontaq bringing founders on the shop floor. What differentiated this workshop was the depth of execution, interactions with functional leaders to understand bottlenecks firsthand, and co-created solutions grounded in operational realities. Through this initiative, we aren’t just talking about the future of industry—we are building a repeatable model that transforms innovation from conversation into execution.”

Mr. Rajesh Khosla, CEO, AGI Greenpac Limited, said, "At AGI Greenpac, operational excellence and continuous innovation remain central to our growth strategy. As India’s leading glass packaging manufacturer, we see immense value in bringing external innovation into our manufacturing ecosystem. This workshop provided an opportunity for our teams to engage with entrepreneurs bringing fresh perspectives and emerging technologies to solve real business challenges. We are excited by the quality of ideas generated and look forward to exploring opportunities that can create tangible value for our operations, customers, and industry.”

Mr. Prem Barthasarathy, Founder & Managing Partner, Pontaq VC, said, "Large industrial conglomerates do not look for isolated point solutions; they seek integrated solutions that can improve quality, enhance productivity, increase revenues, and reduce costs across the value chain. Yet, for start-ups, breaking into large enterprises and securing pilot opportunities typically takes between 8 and 18 months. Through 'Floor to Future', we are fundamentally changing this dynamic. By bringing founders directly onto the shop floor alongside operational and business leaders, start-ups gain first-hand insight into real-world challenges while enterprises gain access to cutting-edge innovation. What is particularly exciting is that potential proof-of-concepts emerged within just 48 hours of engagement. This demonstrates that when industry and innovation come together in the right environment, the path from conversation to execution can be dramatically shortened.”

About AGI Greenpac Limited

AGI Greenpac Limited is India's largest manufacturer of container glass and provides a comprehensive portfolio of PET bottles and products, along with anti-counterfeiting security closures. With seven strategically located manufacturing plants across India, the company serves over 500 globally recognized institutional clients.

About SIG Tattva

SIG Tattva, the corporate venture capital arm of Somany Impresa Group, empowers visionary founders and transformative start-ups. Inspired by the Sanskrit word “Tattva” – meaning essence, principle, or fundamental truth – the platform reflects a commitment to truth, excellence, and progress.

Focusing on early-stage ventures in deep-tech manufacturing, enterprise SaaS, clean technologies, next-generation e-commerce, and disruptive product innovations, SIG Tattva goes beyond capital to provide strategic guidance, industry access, and operational expertise. By bridging entrepreneurs with real-world industrial ecosystems, it aims to accelerate breakthrough ideas and strengthen India’s deep-tech innovation landscape.

About Pontaq

Pontaq was established in 2015 as the first India-UK VC fund in history.  Pontaq’s India HQ is in Chennai. Since inception Pontaq has been investing in impactful, scalable, and sustainable technologies that bridge domestic innovation with global opportunities.

Achievements –

• 190+ Investments: Spanning 23 Indian states and 2 UK regions.

• 15+ Multinational Operations: Portfolio start-ups operating in more than one country.

• Extensive IP Portfolio: Nearly 100 patents.

• Job Creation: Over 3,000 jobs created across India and the UK, with more than 10% for women.

• Women Leadership: ~30% of our portfolio start-ups are led by female founders.

Spense Founders and Growthcap Ventures Team, From Left to right - Srinivas Krishnamurthy, Pratekk Agarwaal, Pawan Kumar, Neeti Bokaria Source: Growthcap Ventures (Investors)

GrowthCap Ventures was the first institutional investor in Spense, leading the company's pre-seed round in May 2025, and has continued to back the company as it scales. The follow-on investment reflects GrowthCap's conviction in both the founders and the emerging opportunity to build the infrastructure powering India's next generation of credit.

As India's credit ecosystem evolves beyond unsecured lending, a vast pool of assets—including fixed deposits, mutual funds, equities, invoices and other financial assets—remains underutilised within the formal credit system. Spense enables banks to transform these assets into modern credit products through a bank-native infrastructure layer that integrates seamlessly with existing banking systems.

The company has already partnered with leading institutions to launch secured credit cards and credit lines backed by customer assets. Today, Spense works with seven major banks, powers over 2 lakh active cards, issues more than 40,000 cards every month, and contributes to nearly 8% of India's monthly credit card issuance, underscoring the growing demand for modern asset-backed lending infrastructure.

The fresh capital will be used to deepen banking partnerships, accelerate product development, expand engineering and go-to-market teams, launch Credit Line on UPI (CLOU), and further build the infrastructure and intelligence layer for the future of asset-backed credit.

"India's credit challenge is often viewed as a risk problem. We believe it is fundamentally an infrastructure problem. India does not have a shortage of assets. It has a shortage of infrastructure that can convert those assets into usable credit. We believe the next generation of banking will be built on two foundations: infrastructure that unlocks assets and AI that makes credit intelligent, scalable and accessible. If you have a valuable asset, you should have access to modern credit," Pawan Kumar, Co-founder & CEO, Spense.

"For decades, banks digitized accounts, payments and transactions. The next phase of banking is the digitization of collateral itself," Srinivas Krishnamurthy, Co-founder & CTO, Spense.

"We invested in Spense at the pre-seed stage because we believed asset-backed credit would become one of the defining themes in financial services. Pawan and Srinivas have demonstrated exceptional clarity of vision and execution, building infrastructure that enables banks to unlock liquidity against assets at scale. We're delighted to welcome Arkam Ventures and our fellow investors, and are excited to continue supporting the team as they build the future of banking infrastructure in India," Pratekk Agarwaal, Founder & General Partner, GrowthCap Ventures.

About GrowthCap Ventures

GrowthCap Ventures is an operator-led early-stage venture capital firm focused on backing category-defining startups across FinTech, AI and DeepTech. The firm partners with founders from the earliest stages of company building, often as the first institutional investor, providing not only capital but also hands-on operational support, strategic guidance and access to an extensive network of founders, operators and enterprise partners.

The continued investment in Spense reflects GrowthCap's high-conviction approach of backing exceptional founders early and supporting them through successive stages of growth. As an operator-led fund, GrowthCap works closely with portfolio companies on product strategy, customer introductions, hiring, fundraising and long-term company building.

Spense's successful upround is another example of GrowthCap Ventures' commitment to identifying category leaders early and partnering with founders building the next generation of foundational technology companies from India.

Marwari Catalysts Portfolio Damroo, Mad over building, Inteliquant AI, INKA, Leap Ahead to raise strategic investment rounds

Among the notable funding announcements, independent music platform Damroo (founder Ram Mishra) announced a funding round of INR 5 crore, while construction technology company Mad Over Building (founder Kumar Vivek) to raise a funding round of approximately INR 30 crore. INKA (founder Vaibhav Kathju) also announced a funding round to accelerate the growth of its AI-powered insurance platform. In addition, InteliQuant AI (founder Kapil Soni) and Leap Ahead (founder Divya Multani Jain) attracted significant investor interest through their recent funding rounds, alongside other promising ventures within the Marwari Catalysts ecosystem.

Overall, around seven startups associated with the Marwari Catalysts portfolio announced funding rounds during the last quarter, highlighting the growing maturity of the Group's investment pipeline and the confidence of investors in startups emerging from Tier-II and Tier-III India.

Over the years, Marwari Catalysts has evolved beyond a conventional startup accelerator into a comprehensive entrepreneurial ecosystem supporting founders across every stage of their journey. Today, the Group operates across pre-incubation, incubation, acceleration, venture studio, strategic mentoring, investor readiness, and family office-led investment initiatives, enabling founders to access knowledge, networks, capital, and long-term strategic support under one umbrella.

With a strong focus on entrepreneurs from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, Marwari Catalysts has consistently worked towards bridging the gap between ambitious founders and institutional investors. The organization believes that India's next generation of globally scalable startups will increasingly emerge from smaller cities, where founders possess deep market understanding, execution capability, and the ability to solve real-world problems.

Sushil Sharma, Founder, Marwari Catalysts Group, said, "Our objective has never been limited to helping startups raise capital. We focus on building fundamentally strong companies that investors are confident backing. Through our integrated ecosystem, we work closely with founders from the early stage to investment readiness, helping them build scalable businesses with sustainable long-term value. The recent funding announcements across our portfolio demonstrate that world-class companies can emerge from Tier-II and Tier-III India when founders receive the right ecosystem support."

Sharing his experience, Kumar Vivek, Founder & CEO, Mad over Building, said, "Marwari Catalysts has been much more than an accelerator for us. Their ecosystem gave us access to experienced mentors, investors, strategic guidance, and meaningful business relationships. The support extended well beyond fundraising and played an important role in strengthening our business."

Investor Khurshed Dordi, Independent Director- State Bank of India, ex-MD Deutsche Bank, said, "Marwari Catalysts has built an ecosystem that creates value for both founders and investors. Their hands-on engagement with startups—from validation and mentoring to governance and investor readiness—results in stronger businesses and better investment opportunities. It is encouraging to see quality startups emerging consistently from their portfolio."

Investor Dr. Seema Chaudhary, MD- Seema Finechem Industry added, "The next wave of innovation in India is coming from beyond the metro cities. Marwari Catalysts is playing a significant role in preparing these startups for institutional investment by combining structured mentorship with access to experienced investors and industry leaders. This approach creates long-term value for entrepreneurs, investors, and the startup ecosystem alike."

As India's startup landscape continues to diversify geographically, Marwari Catalysts is strengthening its position as an emerging family office, supporting high-potential startups with patient capital, strategic guidance, governance support, and access to long-term investment networks.

Today, Marwari Catalysts Group has emerged as a trusted startup ecosystem and preferred deal-flow partner for several of India's leading business families, family offices, and strategic investors. Its growing network includes renowned names such as DS Group, Dr. Lal Path Labs, Malpani Ventures, Navneet Group, Somany Impresa Group, along with several other prominent investment houses that actively engage with the Marwari Catalysts ecosystem to identify high-potential startups.

By connecting ambitious founders with patient capital, strategic mentorship, and industry networks, Marwari Catalysts continues to enable startups from Tier-II and Tier-III India to build globally competitive businesses. With its integrated model spanning pre-incubation, incubation, acceleration, venture studio, and family office participation, the Group is creating a robust pipeline of investment-ready ventures while strengthening India's innovation ecosystem.

As the startup landscape continues to evolve, Marwari Catalysts is reaffirming its mission of ensuring that exceptional founders—regardless of geography—have access to the capital, mentorship, and strategic partnerships needed to build the next generation of globally successful companies.

For more information, please log on to www.marwaricatalysts.com/home.php.

Marwari Catalysts Group Founder Strengthens Global Leadership Footprint, Creating New  Opportunities for Indian Startups and MSMEs

Apart from leading the Startup & MSME Vertical at BRICS CCI, Sharma also serves as Global Mentor for SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) Youth, Co-Chair – Startup Vertical, Rotary District 3053, and Convener, Rajasthan Chapter of the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC). Through these responsibilities, he is actively working to build stronger collaborations between governments, innovation ecosystems, investors, academia, and businesses across international markets.

Recently, Sharma represented India during his visit to London, where he participated in London Tech Week—one of the world's largest technology and innovation gatherings. During the visit, he interacted with startup founders, venture capitalists, technology companies, innovation hubs, policymakers, corporate leaders, and members of the Indian diaspora to explore investment opportunities, technology partnerships, cross-border collaborations, and market access for Indian startups and MSMEs. The visit further strengthened Marwari Catalysts Group's international network and opened new avenues for strategic partnerships.

Sharma has also emerged as one of India's recognised voices on entrepreneurship and innovation, having been invited as a speaker at several prestigious national and international platforms, including AIM Congress, Abu Dhabi; SCO Summit, China; SCO Forum, Russia; Investarise by Startup XChange, Dubai; TiEcon Udaipur; TiEcon Ahmedabad; Startup & MSME Conclave, Bihar; HIM MSME Fest, Shimla; Vibrant Gujarat, Mehsana; CEO Conclave, Jaipur; The Economic Times Business Summit, Jaipur; Uttarakhand Thrive Summit at UPES, Dehradun; Blue Economy Summit, Bhubaneswar; Pune Startup Fest; The Times of India leadership platform in Rajasthan; Rising Rajasthan; Startup Mahakumbh, New Delhi; and INDIASoft, among several other industry forums.

Speaking about his vision, Sharma said, "India's next wave of entrepreneurship will emerge from Tier-II and Tier-III cities. These founders possess exceptional talent, resilience, and innovative thinking. What they need is global exposure, strategic mentorship, access to investors, and international markets. My endeavour is to ensure that geography never becomes a limitation for ambitious entrepreneurs."

Known for his minimalistic lifestyle and purpose-driven leadership, Sharma believes that sustainable success is built through long-term relationships, disciplined execution, and creating value for entrepreneurs rather than pursuing personal recognition.

Commenting on Sharma's leadership, Sameep Shastri, Chairman of BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry, said, "Sushil Sharma has consistently demonstrated a remarkable commitment towards strengthening India's startup ecosystem. His work with entrepreneurs, especially those from emerging cities, aligns perfectly with BRICS CCI's vision of fostering innovation-led economic growth and international cooperation. His leadership will play an important role in creating stronger global linkages for startups and MSMEs while promoting collaboration across BRICS economies."

Over the years, Marwari Catalysts Group has built a footprint of more than 100 startups and has established itself as one of India's leading startup ecosystem enablers. The Group works closely with more than 10 prominent family offices, besides investors, corporates, academic institutions, government bodies, and international ecosystem partners to help startups access capital, strategic mentorship, market expansion opportunities, and global business networks.

With leadership responsibilities spanning BRICS CCI, SCO Youth, ESC, and Rotary's startup initiatives, Sharma is uniquely positioned to bridge local innovation with global opportunities. His expanding international engagements are expected to significantly benefit Indian startups, MSMEs, and the growing portfolio of ventures supported by Marwari Catalysts Group by facilitating access to global markets, strategic partnerships, technology collaborations, exports, investments, and innovation ecosystems.

As India continues to emerge as one of the world's fastest-growing innovation economies, Sharma's leadership reflects the increasing global recognition of entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders from beyond metropolitan India, reinforcing the belief that world-class innovation can originate from every corner of the country.

From Local roots to the World: Leap Ahead Founder Divya Multani is Building India's Global Business Gateway

In a startup ecosystem often dominated by metropolitan cities, a young entrepreneur from Jodhpur is proving that global ambitions can emerge from anywhere.

Founded in April 2026 by Divya Multani, Leap Ahead has rapidly established itself as a platform dedicated to helping Indian startups, MSMEs, exporters, and growth-stage businesses access international markets, investors, strategic partners, and innovation ecosystems. In a remarkable achievement, the company secured strategic investment from prominent investors and industrialists within just one month of its launch.
 

The company's journey reflects a larger story of India's evolving entrepreneurial landscape, where founders from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are increasingly building ventures with global aspirations from day one.

Since its inception, Leap Ahead has already facilitated and participated in business delegations and strategic engagements across India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Russia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, China, and London, enabling Indian businesses to promote exports and merger and acquisitions and explore international expansion opportunities, global partnerships, investment avenues, and new markets.

The organization is also working closely with influential global and industry institutions including the BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BRICS CCI), SCO Business Incubator, and the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC), helping Indian businesses connect with international ecosystems and cross-border opportunities.

A Founder’s Journey from Local to Global Business Networks 
A dropout post graduate from Jodhpur, Divya Multani was drawn to the startup ecosystem while interacting with entrepreneurs, founders, and business leaders. 

Through these experiences, she observed a recurring challenge: while businesses from smaller cities possessed immense potential, they often lacked access to international markets, global networks, and strategic opportunities available to larger companies in metropolitan regions. 

To bridge this gap, she founded Leap Ahead with a mission to ensure that geography never limits ambition and that Indian businesses from every corner of the country can confidently participate in the global economy.

Building Global Bridges in Record Time
Within just a few months of its launch, Leap Ahead has built relationships across multiple international markets and created opportunities for startups, MSMEs, and business leaders to engage with global innovation ecosystems.

Its international engagements have included participation in major business and innovation platforms, meetings with industry leaders, investors, trade organizations, and ecosystem stakeholders across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The company's recent participation in London's technology and innovation ecosystem further strengthened its international network and reinforced its commitment to creating global opportunities for Indian businesses.

The confidence shown by strategic investors and industry leaders at such an early stage has been one of the defining milestones in Leap Ahead's journey. The company's ability to attract investment before generating revenue reflects strong belief in both the market opportunity and the team's capability to execute its vision.

Speaking about the journey, Divya Multani Jain, Founder, Leap Ahead, said, "Coming from Jodhpur, I understood that ambition exists everywhere, but access doesn't. Leap Ahead is building a global platform that connects businesses with international markets, strategic partners, investors, and new opportunities—regardless of where their journey begins."

Khurshed Dordi, Independent Director- State Bank of India, ex-MD Deutsche Bank, Advisor- Leap Ahead, says, "The future belongs to businesses that can build trusted global connections. Leap Ahead is creating that bridge, enabling meaningful cross-border collaborations and international growth."

Ankita Sachdeva, Joint Director- BRICS CCI and Strategic advisor in Leap Ahead, says, "Leap Ahead combines a strong vision with decisive execution. Its ability to identify a market opportunity and build credibility so quickly gave us the confidence to support its journey from the very beginning."

Sushil Sharma, Chairman, Marwari Catalysts Group, says, "India's next generation of globally successful businesses will increasingly emerge from Tier 2 and Tier-3 cities. What these businesses need is access—access to networks, markets, investors, and international ecosystems. Leap Ahead is addressing this need with remarkable speed and clarity. We are proud to support initiatives that help Indian businesses compete on the global stage." 
 

About Leap Ahead
As Leap Ahead continues to expand its global network, the company aims to become one of India's leading international business acceleration platforms. Through strategic partnerships, global delegations, investor access programs, trade collaborations, and market-entry initiatives, the organization seeks to empower startups, MSMEs, and growth-stage companies from across India to scale beyond borders.

For Leap Ahead, the mission remains clear: ensuring that the next globally successful Indian business can emerge not only from major metros, but also from small cities that can be entrepreneurial hubs across the country.

Nine climate-tech start-ups are set to deploy solutions addressing critical urban sustainability challenges across 10 Indian cities, including Chennai, Kozhikode, Bengaluru, Khammam, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Bhavnagar and New Delhi. Under the Innovations in Sustainable Urban Transition Program, led by Social Alpha and the University of Toronto India Foundation (UTIF), these start-ups will deploy solutions that support low-carbon transitions across these cities. The selected start-ups will receive grants of up to INR 35 lakh to support the deployment of their innovations and help de-risk their adoption in urban environments.

The selected start-ups will deploy innovations across sectors critical to urban sustainability, including low-carbon construction materials, renewable energy, waste management, water efficiency and sanitation. 

The nine startups include:

• Carbon Strong, whose proprietary fly ash-based binder replaces 35-40% of cement in concrete, cutting embodied carbon and costs with no process change for producers.

• Satiq Concrete Manufacturer, which develops low-temperature, waste-derived binders and engineered composites that deliver lightweight, high-strength, thermally efficient concrete with significantly lower emissions.

• Go Do Good Studio, which creates home-compostable food packaging using proprietary plant-based coatings and inks that eliminate plastic from urban food delivery and catering.

• Vivifica Sustainable Solutions, whose patented WENERATOR integrates process optimisation, IoT-based monitoring and multi-stage digestion to convert mixed organic waste into clean biogas at source, designed for institutional kitchens and canteens.

• Apeiro Energy, which develops vertical small wind turbines optimised for low wind speeds, paired with smart controllers, monitoring systems, energy management systems and an AI micrositing tool for wind-solar hybrid microgrids.

• Trinano Technologies, whose patented nano coating for solar panels increases energy output by 4%+, extends panel life by 2-3 years, and cuts cleaning requirements by 50%, addressing inefficiencies that reduce energy production.

• Smart Terra, whose AI-driven SaaS creates a digital twin of water networks to detect leaky pipes and faulty meters and predict operational inefficiencies in water networks with under 100-metre precision, and is agnostic to hardware, sensor or database technologies.

• Vayujal Technologies, whose atmospheric water generators can produce 43 to 3,000 litres of drinking water per day from air for homes, offices, institutions, industries and communities, in an energy-efficient manner, with zero water wastage and adherence to BIS 10500.

• Xpredict Labs, whose HiDrEC is a decentralised, packaged wastewater treatment system that runs on electrochemical principles with no external chemicals, requiring lower land footprints while producing reusable CPCB-compliant water.

The technologies will be deployed through 17 partnerships spanning 11 private and six public organisations across 10 Indian cities, with expected outcomes spanning emissions reduction, waste diversion, production of energy from clean sources, energy efficiency, reduction in non revenue water losses, reduced dependence on groundwater, and increased access to clean drinking water.

The pilot partners include ready-mix concrete manufacturers (RMCs) such as Veera Concrete and PCS Industries, schools under the Government of Maharashtra and Government of Tamil Nadu, research institutions such as the Central Road Research Institute, hospitals including Kilpauk Medical College Hospital and Meitra Hospital, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Contendre Solar and Boson Whitewater, industries such as Ashapura Saltworks and Yashpoly, real estate companies such as DRA Homes, and urban local bodies and utilities including the Khammam Municipal Corporation and Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board.

On the Program, Ganesh Neelam, Co-founder, Social Alpha, said, "By 2036, India's towns and cities are expected to be home to 600 million people. As urban populations grow, pressure on the systems that support everyday life will intensify. Cities will need to rethink how they design and construct infrastructure, manage resources, deliver essential services and build resilience to climate risks. Addressing these challenges requires solutions that are practical, reliable and deployable at scale. Our aim is to support a growing pipeline of innovators addressing urban sustainability challenges and support the deployment of these solutions across Indian cities."

Gauravi Lobo, Director, U of T India Foundation, said, "What this program has surfaced is that the constraint isn't the technology. It's the distance between a working solution and a public system ready to absorb it. The nine start-ups in this cohort are being tested against that distance, with pilots designed around what urban local bodies and civic institutions actually need to make adoption decisions. For UTIF, that is where the research question lives - and what we carry back to the University of Toronto is not just the outcome, but the institutional logic of how Indian cities are learning to integrate innovation at scale."

The Innovations in Sustainable Urban Transition Program was first launched in 2024. Its first cohort of eleven start-ups deployed innovations in 11 cities addressing air quality, sanitation, waste management, clean mobility and low-carbon construction materials. The Program demonstrated that deep-tech innovations can be contextualised, de-risked and deployed through structured public and private partnerships, generating measurable outcomes in emissions avoidance (105.99 tonnes of CO2e), waste diversion (407.15 tonnes), water savings (16,896 kilolitres) and improved air quality (between 20% - 94% reduction in PM 2.5 and 10 across four locations).

For further information on the Program or the start-ups, please contact urban@socialalpha.org.

About Social Alpha
Social Alpha is an operating philanthropy dedicated to taking breakthrough science from lab to the last mile. Social Alpha's full-stack, multistage innovation and venture development platform is designed to develop, de-risk and deploy frontier innovations to advance affordable healthcare, resilient livelihoods and climate action, prioritising the most critical challenges for people and planet. Founded in 2016, Social Alpha has supported over 450 innovations focused on socio-economic and environmental impact. For more information, please visit www.socialalpha.org.

About University of Toronto India Foundation
The University of Toronto India Foundation, based in Mumbai, serves as a dynamic bridge connecting the University of Toronto with India's academic institutions, innovators, non-profits, social enterprises and governments. Bringing together research, innovation and impact, UTIF works to address sustainability challenges faced by Indian cities through co-created solutions.

For more information, visit www.uoftindiafoundation.com.

Government of Karnataka and Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), in partnership with Startup Genome, today announced key findings from the Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) 2026, unveiled at VivaTech Paris. The rankings highlight India's growing innovation footprint, with six Indian ecosystems featured globally. Recognized as the definitive benchmark for startup ecosystems, GSER draws on data from more than 5.5 million companies across 350+ innovation ecosystems worldwide.

Bengaluru, Karnataka: Ranked Second in Asia for AI Innovation, Enters Global Top 10 in Performance and R&D

The GSER 2026 ecosystem rankings are based on a weighted composite index across six key success factors: Performance (27.5%), Funding (20%), Market Reach (20%), Talent and Experience (17.5%), AI-Native Cluster (10%), and R&D Engine (5%). Each factor is scored on a 1–10 scale across more than 350 global ecosystems, making the ranking a multidimensional assessment of ecosystem strength rather than a single-parameter measure.

The finding underscores Bengaluru-Karnataka's growing influence in the global AI landscape. Ranked Asia's #2 AI-native startup ecosystem the region continues to build on its strengths in talent, research, entrepreneurship, and venture capital. The ecosystem also recorded stronger-than-average growth in early-stage AI funding, reinforcing Karnataka's role in shaping India's AI future.

Bengaluru-Karnataka Ecosystem Analysis

Across the GSER 2026 framework, Bengaluru-Karnataka demonstrates consistent outperformance across multiple high-weight indicators, with particularly strong signals in ecosystem output, innovation capacity, and value creation velocity.

Ranking #15 globally in the Startup Ecosystem Index, Bengaluru-Karnataka continues to strengthen its position as India's leading startup hub. Since GSER 2021, the ecosystem has recorded a 190% growth in ecosystem value, significantly outpacing the global average of 149% and the Asia average of 66%. With a total ecosystem value of USD 153 billion, USD 46 billion in startup exits between 2021 and 2025, 304 exits, and 30 active unicorns, Bengaluru-Karnataka demonstrates strong innovation output while maintaining comparatively lower talent input costs. The ecosystem ranks among the Top 10 globally and #3 in Asia for Performance, and among the Top 15 globally and #4 in Asia by Ecosystem Value.

On the investment front, Bengaluru-Karnataka attracted USD 39 billion in venture funding between 2021 and 2025, placing it among the Top 15 ecosystems globally and fourth in Asia. The ecosystem's average exit timeline of 8.2 years, compared to the global average of 11.1 years, reflects faster value-realisation cycles and capital recycling. Its funding profile is characterised by a strong concentration of growth and late-stage capital, complemented by increasing early-stage activity, highlighting the continued evolution of the ecosystem.

In innovation, Bengaluru-Karnataka's R&D Engine ranking improved from the global Top 30 in GSER 2025 to the Top 10 globally in GSER 2026, driven by increased patent output and research commercialisation. This growth is supported by leading institutions such as IISc, ISRO, DRDO, C-DAC, and NAL, alongside emerging deep-tech initiatives in quantum technologies and aerospace. The ecosystem has also emerged as a leading AI hub, accounting for approximately 58% of India's AI startup funding and ranking #2 in Asia in the AI-Native Cluster category.

This indicates strong early-stage concentration in AI-first business models, with scaling potential dependent on later-stage capital and global market expansion.

Overall, GSER 2026 highlights a structurally high-performing ecosystem characterised by strong value creation efficiency, improving innovation output, and above-average capital inflows, supported by faster exit cycles and deepening research-commercialisation linkages.

Bengaluru-Karnataka's Key Highlights in GSER 2026

Bengaluru retained its position among the world's Top 40 startup ecosystems for the second consecutive year and ranked as the #15 Global Startup Ecosystem, with an ecosystem value of USD 152.8 billion. The ecosystem ranked among the Top 10 globally and #3 in Asia for Performance, which measures the size and performance of an ecosystem based on accumulated startup value created through exits and funding.

In innovation, Bengaluru-Karnataka ranked among the Top 10 globally and #5 in Asia in the R&D Engine category, which measures innovation through research activity and patent generation. The ecosystem also ranked among the Top 15 globally and #4 in Asia in Funding Momentum, which measures ecosystem strength through early-stage funding activity and investor participation.

Bengaluru-Karnataka further ranked among the Top 15 globally and #2 in Asia in the AI-Native Cluster category, which measures the scale and intensity of AI startup activity within the ecosystem. In Talent Strength, the ecosystem ranked among the Top 30 globally and Top 10 in Asia, measuring its ability to generate, attract, and retain high-quality talent over time. The ecosystem also ranked among the Top 20 in Asia in Affordable Talent, which measures the ability to hire technology talent competitively, and among the Top 30 in Asia in Funding Runway, which measures the average capital runway that startups secure from venture funding rounds.

Commenting on the recognition, Priyank Kharge, Honourable Home minister, IT & BT, E-governance, Government of Karnataka, said, "Bengaluru-Karnataka is no longer just India’s startup capital; it is increasingly a global DeepTech and AI innovation hub. This recognition by Startup Genome validates our long-term investments in talent, research, entrepreneurship, and emerging technologies. As we build Karnataka’s DeepTech Decade, our focus remains clear: create the next generation of globally impactful companies from Karnataka for the world.”

View the full report here www.karnatakadigital.in.

Policy makers, industry, academia and innovation leaders unite to launch hackFront India, accelerating Bharat's innovation decade and empowering the next million innovators

The hackFront India Leadership Forum, being hosted at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi, marks the official launch of hackFront India, a nationwide innovation league designed to identify, nurture and accelerate student innovators, entrepreneurs and technology creators from across the country. hackFront India is the initiative of leading innovation tech startup Where U Elevate.

The timing of the event is particularly significant. As India showcases over 120 deep-tech startups, premier institutions and breakthrough innovations before global investors and industry leaders through “Bharat Innovates” in France, hackFront India seeks to strengthen the grassroots innovation pipeline that will produce the next generation of such success stories.

Inspired by the Vision of "Bharat Innovates"
hackFront India draws inspiration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's consistent call for building an innovation-led India where technology serves humanity, entrepreneurship drives prosperity and young minds become creators rather than consumers of technology.

The launch of hackFront India reflects the spirit of PM Modi's vision of transforming India into a global innovation powerhouse by connecting talent, technology, academia, industry and government.

Building Bharat's Innovation Decade
Organized by Where U Elevate, the hackFront India Leadership Forum brings together leaders from industry, academia, startups, government and the investment ecosystem to deliberate on the future of innovation, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies in India. 

The initiative aims to create a structured, pan-India league of hackathons, innovation challenges, startup accelerators and mentorship programs that will empower students and young entrepreneurs to solve real-world problems through technology and innovation.

Leadership Driving the Movement
hackFront India is spearheaded by Mr. Rishab Ilwadi, Co-Founder & CEO of Where U Elevate, whose vision is to create a nationwide platform for innovation, entrepreneurship and youth leadership. He is supported by an accomplished Executive Council comprising leaders from academia, industry, technology, startups and public policy.

The initiative is guided by an esteemed Advisory and Mentorship Council that includes industry veterans Mr. Amresh Khar and Mr. Dhiraj Tripathi, Founder & CEO of AutoBridge Ventures, Academic Leader Dr. Alok Nikhil Jha, Coordinator & Head, Innovation, IIIT Delhi. Together, they bring strategic expertise, industry insights and mentorship to help nurture India's next generation of innovators.

Leadership Voices
Speaking at the launch, the distinguished Guests of Honour and thought leaders attending the forum—including Dr. Vinod Bind, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Shri Anshoo Pandey, Director, Ministry of Mines, Dr. Pankaj Tripathi, Thought Leader, Shri Vinit Goenka, Secretary, Centre for Knowledge Sovereignity and Ms. Malgorzata Wejsis-Gołębiak, Director, Polish Institute, New Delhi - emphasized that India's innovation journey cannot be built solely in boardrooms and research laboratories. It must be powered by millions of young minds across schools, colleges, universities, and startup ecosystems.

They underscored the critical need to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry requirements by enhancing youth employability, fostering entrepreneurship, and creating pathways for meaningful careers in both the corporate and public sectors.

The industry and academia leaders including Mr. Manish Gurnani, CTO, Ksolves India Limited, Mr. Praveen Dwivedi, VP-Public Sector, iLink Digital, Mr. Bhavesh Kataria - CEO, Telio Talent, Mr. Mukesh Bansal, Deputy General Manager - Renewable Energy, Havells, Mr. Om Prakash Maurya, Delivery Head, Ksolves India Limited , Dr. Rajesh Pathak, Vice Chancellor, Metro University, Imran Yusuf, COO, Electropreneur Park - STPI, Dr. Sunita Yadav, Dean, Computer Science, Inderprastha Engineering College, Dr. Anjani Kumar Bhatnagar, Additional Director - Placements, Amity University, Dr. Abhinav Juneja, Director, CRPC, KIET University, also highlighted the importance of providing structured mentorship, incubation support, industry exposure, and investor access to promising innovators emerging from the six-month hackFront India Innovation League. The initiative aims not only to identify talent but also to help transform innovative ideas into scalable ventures, employment opportunities, and nation-building solutions.

"While Bharat Innovates is showcasing India's innovation excellence to the world, hackFront India aims to discover, nurture, and empower the innovators who will represent India on such global platforms in the years ahead. By strengthening employability, entrepreneurship, and incubation support, we are contributing to the creation of a future-ready workforce and building Bharat's Innovation Decade."

Event Details
Event: hackFront India Leadership Forum
Date: 13 June 2026
Venue: Constitution Club of India, New Delhi
Theme: Building Bharat's Innovation Decade – A National Dialogue on Talent, Technology and Entrepreneurship 
The forum witnessed participation from distinguished leaders representing industry, academia, startups, government institutions, investors and innovation ecosystems from across India.

About hackFront India
hackFront India – an initiative of Where U Elevate - is a national innovation league dedicated to nurturing young builders, entrepreneurs and technology innovators through hackathons, innovation challenges, mentorship, incubation support and industry engagement. The initiative seeks to create a nationwide platform that transforms ideas into impactful ventures and contributes to India's emergence as a global innovation leader.

ENDOBOT enables robotic inspection to detect defects inside water, sewer, & stormwater pipelines, while HOMOSEP eliminates manual scavenging through mechanized manhole cleaning

Operating at the intersection of public infrastructure and industrial systems, Solinas has emerged as a key player working closely with municipal corporations across multiple states, as well as leading industries. The company focuses on solving critical challenges in underground infrastructure, ranging from manual scavenging, water pipeline leakages, and contamination risks to unsafe sewer systems, areas that are often invisible yet vital to public health and sustainability.

Through its advanced robotics, AI, and digitization solutions, Solinas is enabling cities to reduce non-revenue water, improve service delivery, and make data-driven decisions. At the same time, its solutions are helping industries ensure operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and infrastructure reliability.

Solinas is among a small cohort of Indian startups — and fewer still from the WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) sector — to be featured in this publishing ecosystem. The case is now available as a teaching resource for MBA programs and business schools worldwide.

The HBS case study highlights how Solinas is building a scalable and impact-driven business model in a traditionally underserved sector. It explores the company’s approach to navigating complex government ecosystems, establishing credibility in industrial markets, and leveraging technology to create measurable outcomes.

“There is no playbook for building a technology company in the water and sanitation sector. Solinas has been built through constant experimentation and learning. Having studied Harvard Business School case studies during my education, it is incredibly meaningful to now see our journey featured as one,” said Divanshu Kumar, Co-founder & CEO, Solinas.

The case is expected to serve as a global learning resource for students, policymakers, and business leaders, offering insights into innovation, public-private collaboration, and building a startup in critical infrastructure sectors in WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene).

About Solinas Integrity Private Limited
Solinas is a deep-tech startup in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector, incubated at IIT Madras. The company focuses on underground urban water and wastewater infrastructure, developing robotics and AI-led solutions for the inspection, cleaning, digitization, and management of underground networks. Its portfolio includes robotic inspection systems, AI-powered analytics platforms, and the Manhole Cleaning Robot designed to enable safer and mechanized sewer maintenance. These technologies allow cities and utilities to visualize, assess, clean, and manage infrastructure that is otherwise invisible, improving safety, reducing non-revenue water, and eliminating the need for manual scavenging.

Recognized and honoured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Solinas partners with urban local bodies, water utilities, and industries to enhance the safety, efficiency, and resilience of critical public infrastructure.

Solinas’ solutions have been deployed across more than 30 cities in India, enabling large-scale inspection, cleaning, and maintenance of underground water and wastewater systems. The company has worked with leading urban utilities and municipal bodies including Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB), Sangli, Miraj Municipal Corporation, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation, Tripura Jal Board, Greater Chennai Corporation, and Noida Authority. Its technology supports significant reductions in water loss, saving up to 600,000 litres per kilometre of inspection per day while lowering operational costs by up to five times.

Through solutions such as the Manhole Cleaning Robot, ENDOBOT Robotic Crawler, and AI-driven analytics platforms, Solinas enables a proactive, data-driven approach to infrastructure management while advancing worker safety, operational efficiency, and climate resilience.

The company has also expanded internationally, with its ENDOBOT robotic solution deployed with Dubai Municipality, and is now planning to scale its presence across the Middle East.

Solinas aims to further expand its footprint across India and global markets, with a continued focus on enabling safer, more sustainable, and resilient urban infrastructure systems through robotics, AI, and intelligent underground infrastructure management. 

Students from the university are currently representing India at the Global EDVentures Startup Competition in Hong Kong, carrying ideas, products, and ventures that originated inside classrooms, labs, maker spaces, hostels, and collaborative student communities at Galgotias University. Their participation comes amid an incredible wave of student-led achievements emerging from the university ecosystem over the past year, including 18 winners at the global Apple Swift Student Challenge, the launch of 37 live applications on Apple’s iOS ecosystem, and growing engagement with international startup conversations connected to organisations such as Y Combinator.

India First Ambition and National Pride Drive Galgotias University Students onto Global Innovation Platforms

The university’s growing startup ecosystem has also begun translating into tangible market confidence. One of the student-led ventures emerging from the Galgotias ecosystem, Cybergenix, recently secured INR 3 crore in funding. A striking aspect of the story is that one of the co-founders of the startup is just 18 years old, reflecting how early exposure to innovation, mentorship, experimentation, and startup culture is beginning to shape a new generation of young Indian founders far earlier than traditionally expected.

Seen across a single year, these developments begin to reveal how quickly the innovation culture at Galgotias University is evolving, with students increasingly approaching university life as builders, founders, creators, and product thinkers operating with global ambition.

The scale and consistency of success at the Apple Swift Student Challenge offers one of the clearest indicators of the ecosystem now taking shape at Galgotias University. After producing 10 winners in 2025, the university saw that number rise to 18 winners in 2026, suggesting that mentorship, peer learning, experimentation, product thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and technical confidence are beginning to spread organically across the student community.

The momentum is also becoming increasingly visible across the wider campus ecosystem and is no longer confined to one department or one select batch, with students from engineering, artificial intelligence, design, management, and interdisciplinary programmes collaborating to build applications, AI-driven products, startup ventures, and technology solutions connected to healthcare, accessibility, productivity, education, immersive learning, and digital communities. Across Galgotias University, building products, experimenting with ideas, and attempting ambitious work is steadily becoming part of everyday student culture instead of being limited to a handful of prodigious individuals.

More than 135 startups have already emerged from the broader innovation ecosystem at Galgotias University, supported through incubation, mentorship, prototyping support, industry exposure, and the INR 10 crore Galgotias Innovation Fund. The university has simultaneously expanded its technology ecosystem through specialised labs and Centres of Excellence built with organisations including Apple, Intel, Cisco, NVIDIA, Salesforce, Tata Technologies, and Capgemini, alongside high performance computing infrastructure powered by NVIDIA DGX H200 systems.

Perhaps the most important transformation underway is psychological, with a visible shift beginning to emerge in the confidence, ambition, and self-belief with which students approach their university years. Increasingly, students at Galgotias University are treating the campus experience not simply as a pathway to a degree, but as an opportunity to build products, experiment with ideas, collaborate across disciplines, and attempt meaningful work much earlier in life while believing that globally relevant startups and technologies can emerge directly from Indian university campuses. Many now have role models within their own university ecosystem to look up to, including seniors who have built apps, secured international recognition, launched startups, raised funding, and represented India on global platforms, alongside mentors who continue to guide, challenge, support, and push them toward thinking beyond conventional academic pathways.

That confidence was visible during the recent visit of Ramana Ramanathan to Galgotias University, where he interacted with founders behind student-led ventures such as Project Tacto and Tekurious, both currently representing India at the Global EDVentures Startup Competition in Hong Kong. Mr. Ramanathan, widely regarded as one of the principal architects behind India’s modern innovation and entrepreneurship movement through the Atal Innovation Mission, appeared particularly struck by the seriousness, clarity, and execution-focused thinking demonstrated by the student teams. Discussions revolved around scalability, deployment challenges, user behaviour, product-market relevance, and real-world application instead of abstract ambition.

Speaking about the emerging ecosystem, Dr. Dhruv Galgotia, Chief Executive Officer of Galgotias University, said, “A new generation of young Indians is beginning to believe that they can build for the world directly from India. That confidence matters. At Galgotias University, we are witnessing students move beyond conventional academic boundaries and begin creating products, applications, startups, and technologies with global ambition while still inside the university ecosystem. What is encouraging is that these achievements are no longer isolated success stories. We are now seeing outcomes emerge repeatedly across domains and cohorts, which tells us that a larger culture of innovation, experimentation, ambition, and national confidence is steadily taking shape.”

At Galgotias University, momentum now appears to be compounding through visibility, peer influence, mentorship, experimentation, and repeated student success across platforms. One app launch encourages another student to experiment. One international competition changes how an entire cohort sees its own potential. One startup securing funding changes how young founders perceive risk and possibility.

That confidence is now becoming increasingly visible across the university ecosystem, where more students are beginning to believe that globally relevant products, companies, and technologies can emerge directly from Indian campuses.

Divyansh Kumar Mishra and Prakhar Kumar Singh of Galgotias University secure INR 3 crore investment commitment for CyberGenix, their AI and cybersecurity startup

The startup has been founded by Divyansh Kumar Mishra from the Class of 2026, currently pursuing a Diploma in Computer Science Engineering, and Prakhar Kumar Singh from the Class of 2029, currently pursuing B.Tech Computer Science Engineering with specialisation in Cyber Security and Digital Forensics.

The investment follows the successful completion of the startup’s due diligence process, with the Share Subscription Agreement currently under execution.

Speaking about the vision behind Cybergenix, Divyansh Kumar Mishra said, “Working across Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, automation, and intelligent digital systems, Cybergenix is developing a context-driven AI ecosystem designed to address limitations increasingly visible across current AI infrastructure. While AI adoption has accelerated rapidly, many existing systems continue to operate as fragmented tools with limited contextual understanding, weak personalization, and inadequate integration between intelligence, automation, and security systems.”

Highlighting the technology architecture being developed at Cybergenix, Prakhar Kumar Singh said, “We are building an integrated architecture combining large language models, self-learning engines, automation frameworks, cybersecurity systems, and digital twin technology to create adaptive and behaviour-aware AI infrastructure capable of understanding workflows, user intent, and operational environments in real time.”

Among the technologies under development is a system-level AI assistant capable of interacting with applications, files, workflows, and operating environments through contextual intelligence and voice interaction. The startup is also developing digital twin systems capable of creating intelligent virtual representations of users for workflow execution, meetings, task management, and decision support. Additional capabilities include self-learning behavioural adaptation, emotion-aware interaction, cross-platform automation, voice and vision interfaces, and cybersecurity-first deployment infrastructure.

The startup has also received support through IIT Ropar’s iHub AWaDH, IIT Ropar under North Sprint Edition at Galgotias Ideathon 2025 and has been recognised through platforms including Smart India Hackathon, Eureka and multiple technology and innovation communities.

Commenting on the investment, angel investor Mr. Adil Jamal said, “A lot of young founders today are building applications on top of existing AI systems. What interested us here was that Divyansh and Prakhar were thinking much deeper about infrastructure, behaviour, automation, security, and how these systems interact in real environments. They are attempting something technically demanding and they have shown unusual persistence and clarity for founders at this stage.”

Dr. Dhruv Galgotia, CEO of Galgotias University, said, “Student-led ventures are beginning to emerge from a much larger innovation and technology ecosystem taking shape across the university. Student teams from Galgotias University have recently been selected to represent India at the Global EDVentures Startup Competition in Hong Kong, students from the university have developed live applications on Apple iOS, and several students have gained recognition through global technology and innovation platforms. The ability of students at such an early stage to attract a funding commitment of this scale also points to the growing seriousness with which young founders are approaching technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Students today are getting exposure to startup building, product development, Artificial Intelligence, app ecosystems, and interdisciplinary collaboration much earlier. Access to advanced infrastructure such as the NVIDIA DGX H200 high performance computing ecosystem is also enabling students to work on AI systems and computational problems that require serious computing capability. Over time, these environments begin creating the confidence to attempt ambitious ideas and build beyond classroom assignments.”

The founders say their long-term vision is to build an integrated AI ecosystem combining Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, automation, and digital identity into a single intelligent platform capable of delivering highly personalised and autonomous interaction systems.

Across the Galgotias University campus, students are increasingly building products, experimenting with emerging technologies, engaging with investors, and developing deployable systems alongside their academic programmes. Startups like Cybergenix reflect how the university’s innovation, incubation, and high-performance technology ecosystem is beginning to translate into real ventures, products, and funding outcomes.

The INR 10 Crore Galgotias Innovation Fund will further strengthen the already vibrant startup ecosystem that has nurtured 135 startups so far
 

The fund adds an investment layer to a wider innovation platform already developed at Galgotias University, where students and founders have access to industry-integrated centres, incubation support, mentorship, corporate partnerships, prototyping infrastructure featuring best-in-class equipment and state-of-the-art hardware, and multiple specialised labs that support product development and innovation.
 

The existing startup ecosystem at the University is already vibrant, with founders making a strong mark. Galgotias Incubation Centre for Research Innovation Startups & Entrepreneurs (GICRISE) has supported 135 startups so far, of which 30 are already generating revenue, providing clear evidence of the tangible outcomes being created within the University’s innovation ecosystem.
 

Across its campus, the University has established specialised centres spanning supercomputing and advanced AI research, semiconductor research, drone intelligence and simulation, design thinking and augmented reality, electric mobility, embedded systems, data analytics, advanced instrumentation, and 3D printing and systems engineering. Industry-linked facilities developed with partners such as HP, Intel, Cisco, Tata Technologies, Microchip, Tableau AI, and L&T support hands-on learning and experimentation.
 

This ecosystem is designed to help founders move from ideation to prototyping, technical validation, pilot deployment, and market readiness. Startups selected under GIF are expected to receive access not only to capital, but also to mentor sessions, faculty expertise, go-to-market strategy support, investor connects, assistance in client acquisition, product refinement support, and structured guidance aimed at helping them build globally competitive companies from the campus itself.
 

Dr. Dhruv Galgotia, Chief Executive Officer of Galgotias University, said, “Innovation grows fastest when talent, technology, mentorship, and capital work together. At Galgotias University, we are creating pathways where students can transform ideas into working products and promising ventures into scalable enterprises. The Galgotias Innovation Fund has been created to accelerate that journey.”
 

The fund will support ventures across artificial intelligence, health technology, education technology, sustainability, mobility, robotics, fintech, consumer products, advanced manufacturing, and digital services.
 

“Galgotias University is setting a strong benchmark by launching the Galgotias Innovation Fund, a forward looking initiative that can significantly accelerate student led entrepreneurship. For young founders, timely access to funding and mentorship is often the catalyst that transforms promising ideas into successful ventures. It is inspiring to see the University create an ecosystem where innovation is encouraged and actively enabled through meaningful support,” said Mr. Rachit Mathur, Founder and CEO of Shiftz, an AI-enabled new-age recruitment platform, author of two books, and mentor to students at the Galgotias Incubation Centre.
 

Galgotias University is amongst the leading private universities in the country, with a substantial student and faculty community across diverse disciplines. The University continues to deepen its focus on entrepreneurship, applied learning, industry engagement, and technology-led innovation.

Vishal Rupani, Rishabh Kathotia, and Mohit Khadaria

Sprect enables anyone to book a focused 1:1 video call with professionals who are otherwise hard to reach. Thousands of verified professionals across finance, careers, business strategy, and technology have made their time available on Sprect, spanning alumni of IIMs, IITs, ISB, and UCLA; professionals from Airtel, Google, Times Internet, and WarnerBros. Discovery; Formula car drivers; and senior government officials.

Rishabh Kathotia, Director at Subhkam Ventures

“Expert access has historically been a privilege of the few,” said Rishabh Kathotia, Director at Subhkam Ventures. “Sprect is building the infrastructure to change that, with a credible PRO network, a clear institutional use case, and founders with the depth to execute on both sides of the platform. We are backing Vishal and Mohit for the long run.”

The professionals people most need to speak with are rarely the easiest to reach. A first-generation founder has no straightforward path to a candid conversation with a CFO who has navigated multiple funding cycles. A mid-career professional cannot easily connect with a senior leader at a company they aspire to join. Sprect removes that barrier, connecting anyone who needs expert guidance with the right professional, on demand. Institutions like SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) have partnered with Sprect to keep their alumni connected across batches and years.

Mohit Khadaria, Co-founder of Sprect

“This funding round validates what we have always believed, that structured expert access is a real and growing need,” said Mohit Khadaria, Co-founder of Sprect. “Colleges want their alumni engaged and contributing. Organisations want curated knowledge flowing through their teams. We are already seeing this with multiple institutions, and this round lets us deepen that work significantly.”

Professionals on Sprect set their own availability, choose whether to offer paid, free, or charity calls, and define the topics they want to be approached for, with Sprect handling scheduling, payments, and video infrastructure end to end. Professionals looking to make their expertise accessible can apply for a free profile at sprect.com/pros

“The right 10 minutes with the right person can change the trajectory of a career or a business,” said Vishal Rupani, Co-founder of Sprect. “India has millions of professionals who have spent decades building exactly that kind of expertise, yet there has never been a dignified, structured way for them to offer it. Sprect changes that, giving every professional a platform to make their knowledge accessible on their own terms. This raise is about getting that opportunity in front of many more professionals.”

About Sprect

Sprect (short for Super Connect) is a platform that makes hard-to-reach professionals accessible to anyone who needs their expertise. Through focused 1:1 video calls, Sprect connects individuals with verified professionals spanning finance, careers, business strategy, technology, and more, including alumni of IIMs, IITs, ISB, and UCLA; professionals from leading global organisations; and senior domain experts across industries. Institutions including SPJIMR use Sprect to keep their alumni connected across batches and years. Visit sprect.com
 

About Subhkam Ventures

Subhkam Ventures (I) Private Limited is a registered NBFC incorporated in 1995, operating from Mumbai. Subhkam invests across public markets and private equity, partnering with high-potential businesses through capital and strategic advisory. Visit subhkam.com

Leaders, innovators, and industry experts convene at TiECon Mysuru 2026, driving conversations on entrepreneurship, collaboration, and future growth

Over three days, the conference will feature more than 35 plenary sessions and 100+ distinguished speakers, exploring how traditional industries and new-age ventures can collaborate to reimagine growth. The event has already attracted strong global interest, with representatives from Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland confirming their participation to explore partnerships with Mysuru’s industry, academia, and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Charter Members from over 10 TiE chapters worldwide will also bring international perspectives and networks to the city.

A highlight of TiECon Mysuru 2026 will be its vibrant startup showcase, featuring 50+ early and growth-stage ventures through curated pitch fests and a dedicated expo. The presence of more than 20 leading investors and venture capital firms—including Nuvama, Chiratae Ventures, Motilal Oswal, Ideaspring Capital, PeerCapital, and BugleRock—underscores the high-quality investment action expected at the event. Complementing this will be a special Industry Pavilion, where 15+ Mysuru-based companies will present globally relevant capabilities across aerospace, precision engineering, digital platforms, and advanced manufacturing.

The speaker lineup reflects the depth and diversity of leadership converging in Mysuru. Among those addressing the conference are Kumar Vembu, CEO of Zoho; Hon. Minister Priyank Kharge; Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar; historian Vikram Sampath; B. V. Naidu; Sanjeev Gupta; Lakshmikanth Reddy; Sudhanva Dhananjaya; and Pavan Ranga, alongside several eminent industrialists and startup founders. Together, they will share insights on innovation, policy, and collaboration.

Bhaskar Kalale, President of TiE Mysuru, emphasized, that the conference aims to lay the foundation for Mysuru’s next phase of entrepreneurial growth. Ram Kevalur, Chairman of TiECon Mysuru 2026, highlighted the role of collaborative efforts with bodies such as CII, ICAI, CFTRI, ICSI and others in strengthening the ecosystem. Industry voices echoed this sentiment, with Pavan Ranga, CEO of Rangsons, stressing the need for deeper collaboration between TiE, KDEM, and local industry, while Sudheer Shankar, Mysuru Cluster Head, KDEM, reiterated the government’s commitment to the ‘Beyond Bengaluru’ initiative.

With global participation, strong investor presence, and industry depth, TiECon Mysuru 2026 is poised to catalyze a new phase of growth and firmly position Mysuru as a high-potential hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.

About TiE Mysuru
TiE Mysuru is part of the global TiE network, dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship through mentoring, networking, funding, incubation, and education. For full information about TiE Mysuru visit www.tiemysuru.org for more information. 

This launch marks a significant expansion of Delta Exchange's ecosystem, catering to investors who seek direct exposure to major cryptocurrencies. Spot trading serves as the ideal entry point, aligning naturally with how most investors approach building their portfolios over time. With seamless INR deposits and withdrawals, users can trade entirely in their local currency, eliminating the need for stablecoins and substantially reducing the barrier to entry for Indian participants.

Users can begin with straightforward spot exposure in BTC, ETH, SOL, and XRP, and seamlessly transition to advanced derivatives trading as their experience grows, all within a single platform. Users can also switch between spot and derivatives wallets, and easily see how their trading and investing portfolios are performing.

Commenting on the launch, Delta Exchange CEO & Co-Founder Pankaj Balani said, "Spot trading is the most intuitive way to participate in the long-term growth story of Crypto. Our platform aims to offer Indian investors a seamless, INR-first experience. Whether you are steadily building a long-term position via spot or swiftly reacting to market shifts via derivatives, our goal is to equip every trader with a complete toolkit, spanning from spot to derivatives to algos, all on a single platform."Delta Exchange continues to strengthen India’s crypto ecosystem by offering secure, scalable access and low fees across advanced derivatives products. Other innovations such as Algo Marketplace, API Copilot, alongside its Futures and Options offerings, underscore the platform’s commitment to supporting the evolution of Crypto F&O trading in emerging financial centres across the country.

About Delta Exchange

Delta Exchange is a FIU-India registered cryptocurrency derivatives exchange in India, offering Futures and Options on Bitcoin, Ethereum and 100+ Altcoins, using INR only. Traders can trade Daily, Weekly & Monthly expiry Options on Bitcoin & Ethereum along with Perpetual Futures with seamless INR deposits and withdrawals without any exposure to crypto assets. For each expiry, a wide range of strikes are made available to give traders more flexibility. Additionally, features like Algo Trading, Straddle contracts, API Copilot, Strategy Builder, Basket Orders, and a rich set of analytics tools are provided to help traders succeed.

For further information, please visit: www.delta.exchange.

Disclaimer: Delta Exchange is India's #1 Crypto F&O Exchange based on daily trading volume among Indian crypto F&O exchanges, calculated using internal data. Crypto products are unregulated, highly risky, and may offer no regulatory recourse for losses.

Building Foundational AI Models for Banking in India from India

The round also saw participation from a powerhouse group of fintech veterans and technologists, including Navin Kukreja (Founder, Paisabazaar), Gaurav Aggarwal (former CXO, Paisabazaar), Prasanna Rao (Co-founder, Arya.ag), along with a diverse group of Bay Area angels and also counts leading investors including Brigade REAP, Prarambh Ventures, IIMA Ventures, Inflection Point Ventures on its cap table.

Revolutionizing Secured Lending through AI

The capital infusion comes as India’s financial services sector undergoes a structural shift toward AI adoption in secured lending, risk assessment, and underwriting. With Micro-LAP and secured MSME credit emerging as strategic priorities for Banks, HFCs, and NBFCs, Navanc’s AI-driven infrastructure has moved from a "value-add" to a core necessity for institutional growth.

Navanc provides explainable credit underwriting AI infrastructure designed specifically for Home Loans, Secured Working Capital, and Loan Against Property (LAP). By digitizing and standardizing property diligence, Navanc enables faster, compliant loan origination, automated revaluation, and real-time portfolio monitoring.

Leadership Perspective

“We are excited to partner with Navanc as they build the digital infrastructure layer for India’s secured lending ecosystem. With strong enterprise adoption and clear product-market fit, Navanc is well-positioned to become a category-defining property-credit intelligence platform. We look forward to supporting the team as they scale into a large and enduring financial infrastructure company,” Manish Goel, Founder, Equentis

“The investment from Equentis has come in at the dawn of Navanc’s exponential growth, with our ARR, and client size increasing by 150% and 283% respectively,” said Nagachethan SM, Co-founder and CEO of Navanc. “This additional capital allows us to double down on our vision of building an intelligent, self-improving ecosystem that financial institutions can trust as their foundational risk layer.”

Byom Kesh Jha, Co-founder and CT&DO, added, “Property-based lending requires more than digitization—it demands deep domain intelligence and a strong foundational assessment AI stack. At Navanc, we are building across multiple layers of property assessment, with live use cases already reducing human dependency by 80–90% and turnaround times from days to hours. This funding is a significant milestone for us, enabling stronger R&D and deeper domain capabilities. It will help us move closer to building a scalable, pan-India property intelligence stack.”

Expanding Footprint

Navanc currently operates as a B2B platform, serving over 35+ institutional customers, including Small Finance Banks (SFBs), NBFCs, and HFCs. The newly raised capital will be deployed to:

• Accelerate Product Development: Enhancing the AI-first architecture for deeper property risk insights.

• Market Penetration: Scaling operations to meet the surging demand across the secured credit ecosystem.

• Team Expansion: Hiring top-tier talent across all departments.

About Navanc

Navanc is India’s first AI-native banking infrastructure company, dedicated to transforming how financial institutions understand and manage property-led risk. By bridging the gap between physical collateral and digital underwriting, Navanc is setting the default standard for secured lending in the "Decisive Decade" of Indian fintech.

Based in Mumbai, Middha Ventures will operate as a family office focused on backing high-potential startups across consumer and emerging sectors, combining patient capital with hands-on strategic support.
 

Abhishek Middha- Founder Middha Ventures

Signaling immediate deal momentum, the firm has announced investments in two early-stage startups- Ruskle and Fitreak.
 

Middha Ventures invested in Ruskle, valuing the company at INR 14 crore. Ruskle is India’s first flavored rusk brand, reimagining a traditional $600 million category with innovative flavors targeted at younger consumers.
 

What stood out during the pitch was the brand’s experiential approach, the founders invited the audience to taste the product before presenting, creating an immediate and memorable connection.
 

"They were very intentional in how they built conviction, letting the product speak before the narrative.That kind of clarity, paired with fast execution, is what we look for in early-stage founders," said Abhishek Middha. "They built belief before they built the story."
 

In a separate transaction, Middha Ventures led a round of INR 70 lacs in Fitreak, an emerging fitness and wellness marketplace.
 

Fitreak Founders - Dipti Gupta and Arth Gupta

Fitreak is building a curated, integrated marketplace for fitness, nutrition, and wellness products, addressing fragmentation and trust gaps in the category through curated commerce, AI-led recommendations, and expert-backed content.
 

The investment reflects Middha’s conviction in strong founder-led execution. Middha ventures believe the Fitreak founder returned with rapid validation after initial feedback, onboarding notable brands within weeks and demonstrating clear market demand.
 

"The clarity of thought and bias toward execution stood out. I am not just backing the idea, but a founder willing to build," Middha added.
 

The launch of Middha Ventures, alongside these investments, signals a clear strategy to back founders who combine strong product thinking with differentiated go-to-market approaches.
 

"India is entering a powerful decade of entrepreneurship. We want to partner with founders who are not just building products, but creating experiences and redefining categories," Middha said.
 

Industry observers note that this move reflects a broader trend of traditional business families entering the startup ecosystem through structured investment platforms, bringing long-term capital and operational expertise to early-stage companies.
 

About Abhishek Middha

Abhishek Middha is an entrepreneur-turned-investor who has spent over a decade and a half building businesses in global trade and logistics. As Managing Director of Middha Global and CEO of QShip Worldwide, he has worked closely with international markets, supply chains, and real-world execution challenges.
 

He now supports early-stage founders through Middha Ventures, by backing people first those driven by conviction, consistency, and the ability to build through uncertainty. Abhishek invests with a long-term lens, shaped by the lessons, setbacks, and discipline of building businesses from the ground up.

Novelty Wealth Founders (L–R): Sajal Gupta (CTO), Naveen Changoiwala (CEO), and Apurva Agarwal (CPGO), leading the company’s technology, strategy, and product vision respectively

The funding comes at a pivotal moment as India undergoes a structural shift toward digital, data-driven investment advisory driven by rising retail participation, increased financialisation of savings, and growing demand for transparent, unbiased financial guidance.

Early Traction Highlights

• 30,000+ app downloads since launch

• Strong engagement with NovaAI, validating demand for AI-driven financial guidance

• Early Pro membership adoption trends among users seeking deeper portfolio & Mutual Fund advisory

• Increasing usage of family dashboards and goal-based planning tools

The Problem: A Fragmented Financial Landscape

Despite record retail participation in India's capital markets, most investors still lack a unified, actionable view of their financial lives. Investments are scattered across banks, brokerages, and mutual fund platforms - making it difficult to understand true net worth, portfolio performance, risk exposure, and tax implications.

At the same time, affluent Indians are largely served by commission-driven products, creating structural misalignment between agent incentives and investor interests.

The result: gaps in transparency, trust, and long-term decision-making quality, leaving investors to navigate growing complexity without structured, unbiased guidance.

The Solution: A Purpose-Trained AI Wealth Intelligence Platform

Novelty Wealth is building purpose-trained AI wealth intelligence platform that aggregates financial data across accounts and transforms it into structured, actionable insights. Rather than functioning as a simple tracking or transaction tool, it is designed as a decision-making layer for personal finance.

Beyond portfolio tracking, the platform enables investors to:

• Access purpose-trained AI financial insights via NovaAI - your private wealth advisor, delivering real-time, unbiased guidance, and 24×7 clarity to help you make smarter, more confident financial decisions

• Connect banks, brokerages, and investment accounts automatically through seamless data aggregation

• Evaluate portfolio performance, risk, diversification, and concentration exposure

• Manage finances across entire families from one interface

• Identify tax-efficient opportunities and optimise investment decisions

• Align financial decisions with long-term goals such as retirement, home ownership, or education

​

Novelty Wealth operates on a zero-commission, fee-only advisory model and is a SEBI-RIA licensed, ensuring regulatory alignment, transparency, and recommendations that are always aligned with investor interests.

Founder's Perspective

“Our vision is to make wealth advisory accessible and affordable for every Indian investor. In today’s time, investors juggle across multiple apps and get fragmented information and biased advice. We built Novelty Wealth to solve that problem by giving people a unified financial view and a purpose-trained AI assistant that helps them make smarter decisions with complete transparency. We are seeing a clear shift toward data-driven financial decision-making. Today’s investors don’t just need access to financial products, they need clarity and control,” said Naveen Changoiwala, CEO & Co-founder, Novelty Wealth

Investor Perspective

"We’ve always known AI could transform personal finance, but building the right product requires a tough mix of tech skills, regulatory knowledge, and a deep understanding of what users actually need, i.e., something that works in the background. When we met the founders, we knew they had what it takes to get this right," said Anand Lunia, Founding Partner, IndiaQuotient

Market Opportunity

India's wealth management industry is undergoing a structural transformation, driven by rising disposable incomes, increased retail participation in equities and mutual funds, and a broad shift toward digital-first financial behaviour. However, the ecosystem remains highly fragmented, with limited integration between tracking, advisory, and decision-making tools.

This creates a large, underserved opportunity for platforms that can unify data, provide actionable intelligence, and deliver regulated, unbiased advice at scale. Novelty Wealth is positioned at the intersection of these structural shifts, building a purpose-trained AI financial intelligence layer for the next generation of Indian investors.

Founding Team

Novelty Wealth was founded by a team with deep experience across financial services, technology, and product innovation:

• Naveen Changoiwala (CEO & Co-founder) leads the company vision, strategy, and growth

• Sajal Gupta (CTO & Co-founder) leads technology architecture and platform engineering

• Apurva Agarwal (CPGO & Co-founder) leads product, user experience, growth, and distribution

About Novelty Wealth

Novelty Wealth is a SEBI-RIA licensed firm that has developed a purpose-trained AI wealth intelligence platform for Indian investors. The platform offers a unified view of financial assets and liabilities, backed by purpose-trained AI insights, portfolio analytics, tax optimisation, and goal-based financial planning, all within a zero-commission advisory model.

Novelty Wealth is committed to delivering transparent, unbiased, and data-driven financial guidance, enabling investors to make informed, long-term decisions with confidence.

Website: www.noveltywealth.in.

CEO, CGO and Investors of Fiberise at the launch of product FYBER

The launch comes at a time when consumers are increasingly shifting toward preventive healthcare and metabolic wellness, seeking safer and non-pharmaceutical alternatives to aggressive weight-loss drugs and stimulant-based supplements, particularly as regulators tighten oversight around the promotion of such products in India.

Unlike many conventional products in the category, FYBER is designed around satiety science and appetite regulation. The formulation aims to help users naturally reduce caloric intake by managing cravings and supporting the body’s fullness signals rather than suppressing appetite artificially.

At the core of the product is LEAN-X™️, a proprietary functional ingredient system developed by Fiberise Fit, for which the company has filed a patent application. The technology integrates advanced fiber science with metabolic signalling pathways designed to support sustainable weight management.

The formulation was developed with inputs from clinicians associated with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi to ensure strong scientific grounding and safety.

“The response to FYBER has been extraordinary and validates our belief that consumers are actively looking for safer and more scientific approaches to weight management,” said Professor Diwakar Vaish, Founder of Fiberise Fit. “Our goal is to move beyond traditional supplements and build a new category where advanced functional nutrition becomes a natural part of everyday life.”

The strong launch response highlights a broader shift in consumer behaviour toward preventive health, metabolic wellness, and science-backed nutrition solutions. Industry estimates suggest India’s nutraceutical and functional nutrition market is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years as awareness around lifestyle diseases and metabolic health increases.

Fiberise Fit recently secured significant seed funding to accelerate its growth and innovation roadmap. The company is building one of the strongest intellectual property pipelines in the functional nutrition space, having filed over 16 patents covering a wide range of upcoming metabolic health and functional nutrition technologies, many of which will form the foundation of its next-generation product portfolio.

Several new products based on these innovations are expected to launch in the coming quarters, targeting areas such as metabolic health, energy and focus, sleep recovery, gut health, and performance nutrition. The company also plans to scale distribution across digital health platforms as well as offline wellness retail channels.

Fiberise Fit has set an ambitious goal of building a Rs. 10,000 crore brand within the next 1,000 days, betting on India’s rapidly expanding preventive healthcare and functional nutrition market.

The company was founded by Prof. Diwakar Vaish, a technologist and entrepreneur with over sixteen years of experience across healthcare technology and advanced engineering. He has previously led developments including India’s first indigenous humanoid robot, brain cloning technology, and a brain-controlled wheelchair. He is also the founder of D&D Healthcare, which supplied more than 17,000 ventilators across India during the COVID-19 pandemic.

About Fiberise Fit

Fiberise Fit is a functional nutrition company focused on building science-backed products that integrate health into everyday consumption. The company develops solutions across metabolic health, satiety science, and functional foods aimed at supporting sustainable lifestyle wellness.

Galgotias University student Keshav Madan, B.Tech Computer Science Engineering, founder of AI automation startup Saivyy Technologies

Keshav started his company while studying in 2025 at Galgotias University. The company helps organizations in leveraging the full potential of their data by transforming large, complex datasets into useful, real-time actionable intelligence. The company uses AI, machine learning, and big data technologies to create solutions that provide an ecosystem for improved efficiency, predictive insights, and data-driven decision-making.

Saivyy Technologies Private Limited helps businesses streamline operations, reduce manual processes, and gain insights that support planning and digital transformation. The company works to address the complexities of enterprise data by installing scalable big data infrastructure, machine learning models, automation frameworks, and intelligent workflows into existing systems. Its technology stack blends predictive analytics, natural language processing, and strong data engineering frameworks to deliver high-quality solutions.

Keshav Madan's journey shows how universities can be centers for innovation and entrepreneurship. With solid mentorship, industry partnerships, and incubation support, Galgotias University empowers students to turn their ideas into impactful ventures, As India speeds up its digital transformation.

Companies like Saivyy Technologies highlight the role of young innovators in shaping the country's technology landscape. Galgotias University continues to set benchmarks with such inspiring stories of Galgotian who aim to achieve big.

About Galgotias University 
Galgotias University is among the World’s Leading Universities in Quacquarelli Symonds (QS Rankings) and Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings

Galgotias University proudly ascends in the QS World University Rankings 2026 by Quacquarelli Symonds, securing a coveted position in the 1201–1400 global band. Ranked 15th among top private universities and 43rd among all Indian universities this achievement marks a powerful endorsement of Galgotias’ unwavering commitment to academic excellence, global relevance, and innovation in higher education. Galgotias has also been accredited with NAAC A+ grade in its very first cycle. All this in a record time of 14 years only. 

In the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025, Galgotias University has been ranked 45th among Indian universities (including both government and private institutions) and placed in the globally prestigious 1001–1200 band. This significant achievement reinforces the university’s growing stature in the international academic arena and validates its consistent progress in global higher education benchmarks.

These recognitions reflect Galgotias University’s strategic focus on teaching quality, research impact, internationalization, and industry relevance, and its mission to shape globally competent graduates prepared for the challenges of tomorrow. 

(L-R) Niranjan Mahabalappa, President of NITK Surathkal Alumni Association, Prof. Ravi B, Director of NITK Surathkal and Prof Prasanna Belur, Dean Alumni & Corporate Relations

Over 350 founders, 200 C-level executives, 100 angel investors and 60 startups, made this meet one of the largest innovation events hosted by a global alumni network in India. The summit exhibited the caliber, reach, and entrepreneurial power of NITK alumni across industry, globally.

Prof. Ravi B, Director of NITK Surathkal, said, "We are proud of NITK alumni who have set high standards for professionalism and success in a variety of fields ranging from manufacturing and sports to defense and public service. Their stories are inspiring and their experiences are valuable for the next generation. I am sure every alumnus will directly or indirectly contribute to building the future of Bharat.”

Shri Niranjan Mahabalappa, Global President of NITK Alumni Association said, “NITKonnect’26 is a strategic business aggregation of alumni - a mechanism through which founders, investors, technologists, and business leaders, who have shared values, come together to help provide direction for the next phase of growth of India.”

The day-long event featured keynotes by Ajay Prabhu, Vice Chairman Quest Global and Saumya Swain, Chairman of RT Energy. Under the banner of “Innovate in Bharat, Scale for the World,” the summit explored India’s transformation into a global powerhouse across AI sovereignty, clean energy, and self-reliant space tech. From the “EV Pivot” and FinTech 2030 to the evolution of the “Factory of the Future,” the sessions dissected how capital and conviction are driving India from a plus-one to the one. By bridging the gap between enterprise SaaS, digital infrastructure, and the new consumer playbook, the event will define the next decade of growth, culminating in a Founders’ Panel on scaling with integrity and redefining the future of work.

About NITK
National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Surathkal is one of India’s premier engineering institutions, established in 1960 and recognized as an Institute of National Importance. Known for its strong academic rigor, cutting-edge research, and industry-linked innovation, NITK offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs across engineering, science, and management disciplines. The institute is renowned for its high-quality faculty, state- of-the-art laboratories, vibrant research culture, and global collaborations. With a coastal campus located along the Arabian Sea, NITK consistently ranks among India’s top engineering institutions and is a key contributor to technological advancement, social impact initiatives, and Nation-building.

About NITKonnect
NITK Surathkal Alumni Association is a global network of 45,000 alumni. NITKonnect is its largest annual alumni summit attracting over 1200+ entrepreneurs, professionals, investors, operators and enablers under one roof to connect, synergise and co-create the next wave of impactful enterprises.

Chennai-based two-year old startup Fintastics is rapidly gaining traction in India’s personal finance tech space, tapping into the country’s rising demand for smarter digital money management solutions. At a time when financial discipline is becoming central to personal growth and long-term stability, the startup is positioning its platform as a financial life-changing innovation, a next-generation expense manager and budgeting app designed to help individuals and families seamlessly track income, control spending, and cultivate sustainable savings habits in an increasingly digital economy.

Fintastics 

Developed by Thinking Hats Tech Solutions Pvt Ltd, Fintastics integrates expense tracking, goal-based savings, AI-driven insights, and secure transaction monitoring into one unified platform, aiming to make financial clarity accessible to India’s digital-first generation.

According to Mouli Shankar, Founder of Thinking Hats Tech Solutions Pvt. Ltd., “Our mission is to transform the way people manage money. We believe financial clarity leads to financial confidence and that confidence changes lives. We envision Fintastics as a catalyst for stronger financial awareness, responsible money management and lasting abundance through transparent guidance, consistent and long-term support, across Indian households. Designed for the digital generation, the app offers a clean and intuitive interface that makes tracking income, expenses, and savings effortless for students, professionals, and families alike. With secure SMS-based transaction detection (enabled only with user permission) and strong security and encryption standards, we ensure both convenience and complete data protection. By helping individuals build disciplined money habits, reduce unnecessary expenses, and achieve long-term financial stability, we aim to contribute to a financially stronger India.”

“Currently available for Android and iOS users, Fintastics will continue to evolve with regular updates and AI-driven enhancements in the future.” he added.

Fintastics goes far beyond traditional expense tracking apps by offering a complete financial ecosystem tailored for modern lifestyles. The Features of the app include:

• AI Insights (Finney AI) – Personalized spending analysis and smart suggestions

• Smart Expense Tracking – Instantly record daily income and expenses

• Simple & Custom Budgets – Plan monthly or category-wise budgets

• Passbook View – Track all accounts in one unified dashboard

• Financial Goals – Set, monitor, and achieve savings targets

• Due & EMI Reminders – Never miss important payments

• Advanced Financial Reports – Clear analytics for better decisions

• Family Sharing Model – Transparent household budget monitoring

• Rewards & Achievements – Recognition for disciplined financial habits

Fintastics Introducing a New Business Model

Finbudy – The Face of Fintastics:
A nationwide network of district ambassadors promoting Fintastics services and financial awareness. Strengthening local presence and improving service reach across India.

www.earn100save10.club (Build Disciplined Financial Habits & Awareness)
A community-driven savings initiative focused on creating disciplined financial habits and encouraging consistent saving. Encouraging collective growth and long-term financial security.

Upcoming Innovations

Fintastics continues to evolve with powerful upcoming features designed to elevate personal financial management. According to Thinking Hats Tech Solutions Pvt Ltd, the next phase of innovation will introduce smarter collaboration and predictive intelligence for users.

Split Sharing – Easily split and track shared expenses among friends, roommates, or groups with clarity and transparency.

Advanced Family Sharing – Enhanced multi-member access with improved visibility for household financial monitoring.

Fin Astro – A unique projection model that analyses three months of financial data to forecast trends, spending patterns, and potential savings opportunities.

These upcoming enhancements are designed to deliver predictive financial intelligence and collaborative money management that will empower users with deeper insights and smarter control over their financial future.

Privacy-First & Secure by Design

Fintastics follows strict privacy and encryption standards to protect user data.

Disclaimer:
Fintastics does not connect to real-time banking systems and does not request or store users’ banking usernames or passwords. All financial data entered remains under the user’s control, ensuring complete transparency and security.

For Further information, please visit fintastics.ai or call +91 8892783333

At Thinking Hats Tech Solutions Pvt Ltd

CANEUS International, in partnership with the Government of Maharashtra (India) recently announced plans to establish the world’s first dedicated Mid-TRL (Technology Readiness Level 4–6) Institute in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The MoU was signed in the presence of Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis and Dr. Milind Pimprikar of CANEUS International. The proposed institute will focus on Mid-TRL Innovation, Acceleration and Skilling in frontier technologies-Aerospace, Space, Energy and Deeptech. CANEUS International is a leading global organisation accelerating next-generation systems since 2000.
 

Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra; Dr. Milind Pimprikar, Chairman, CANEUS International and Shri Binoay B, Chief Strategist, CANEUS International
 

At the signing of the MoU at WEF Davos, Switzerland, the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, reaffirmed the State’s strong commitment to the global investor community. He emphasized, “Maharashtra is well equipped and proud to partner with CANEUS International to pioneer the creation of innovation centres across dynamic sectors, frontier technologies, and aerospace. The State takes pride in partnering with this prestigious institute near Mumbai - the commercial capital of India and the world’s fourth-largest economy - perfectly aligning with Maharashtra’s aspirations to scale its innovation ecosystem globally.”
 

According to Dr. Milind Pimprikar, Chairman of CANEUS International, “This world-first Mid-TRL Innovation Acceleration Institute will bridge the ‘valley of death’ by advancing TRL 4–6 innovations through rapid prototyping, systems integration, validation, and flight/field trials, taking breakthroughs from lab to qualification and early production for real-world deployment and global competitiveness”.
 

The Institute will be located in an integrated, purpose-built ecosystem in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), spread over a sprawling 10 million square feet supporting global collaboration, mission stakeholder engagement, and industry partnerships at scale.
 

Designed as a global skilling and capability-building engine, the Institute will be developed in collaboration with OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, regulators, research institutions and centres of excellence, ensuring that skilling pathways are aligned with real-world industry requirements in mission-critical sectors.
 

Dr. Pimprikar noted that the institute would be a true game changer, serving as a powerful magnet to attract global aerospace conglomerates to India. The initiative will strengthen talent pipelines for advanced manufacturing and high-reliability systems, enabling the workforce to meet the demands of aerospace, space, energy and deep-tech ecosystems.
 

The Institute will also address a critical global gap in frontier technology programmes: system integration readiness. This capability is essential for aerospace and space missions, where reliability, qualification, and deployment readiness are mission-critical and cannot be compromised.
 

Dr. Pimprikar also expressed appreciation for the dynamic team within the Government of Maharashtra for their exceptional support and commitment. Maharashtra already stands as a leading investment destination, with one of the highest ‘Ease of Doing Business’ rankings in India for FDI inflows.
 

The institute is envisioned as a key catalyst for the Viksit Maharashtra 2047 vision and its ambition to become a trillion-dollar economy, in alignment with the forward-looking objectives of MIISP 2025 (Maharashtra Industries, Investment & Services Policy).
 

The partnership strongly aligns with the Government of Maharashtra’s increasing emphasis on industry-aligned skilling through public–private partnerships (PPP), building demand-driven training programs, strengthening institutional capacity, and creating workforce pathways that directly support emerging and strategic sectors.

About CANEUS International

CANEUS International, Canada, founded in 2000, is a pioneering global organisation that brings together industry, research institutions, centres of excellence, and mission stakeholders to validate, integrate and scale next-generation systems. CANEUS enables end-user-driven consortia, testbeds, pilots and systems integration to accelerate high-impact innovations toward deployment.
 

For inquiries, contact:

Dr. Milind Pimprikar, Chairman | mp@caneus.org | +1 (514) 664-2079

Mr. Binoay B, Chief Strategist | binoay.b@caneus.org | +91 7400030896
 

For more information, please visit www.caneus.org.

TimBuckDo Closes Rs 2.70 Crore Funding Round Backed by Industry Titans and VCs After National TV Showcase on Ideabaaz

The interest generated during TimBuckdo’s participation on Ideabaaz has now culminated in a completed and fully closed funding round, with all investors concluding their due diligence and formal commitments.

The round saw the participation from a group of global investors including Sandesh Sharda, Turbostart, Anupam Bansal, Arjun Vaidya, and Shaili Chopra, along with Rukam Capital, headed by Archana Jahagirdar, Ideabaaz’s investment arm, and the co-founders of Ideabaaz.

The total investment, which expanded from initial on-air interest to Rs. 2.70 crore, reflects strong conviction in TimBuckdo’s mission to build India’s largest and most trusted student ecosystem.

A Significant Moment for TimBuckdo

TimBuckdo’s journey from national television to a fully closed investment round marks a meaningful milestone for the company. The structured process from pitch, to investor engagement, to diligence, to closure, highlights the platform’s credibility and the growing market readiness of India’s student workforce.

Investor Statements

Ganesh Raju, Founder - Turbostart

"We invested in Timbuckdo because we saw a team with real passion and lived experience tackling a problem many Indian students face every day which is finding flexible, meaningful ways to earn, learn, and gain experience while they study. The founders’ deep commitment to empowering students and their thoughtful approach to building a safe, scalable gig ecosystem convinced us that Timbuckdo isn’t just solving a problem, it’s shaping how India’s students access opportunity and build their futures"

Sandesh Sharda, Angel Investor and Titan on Ideabaaz

“I could relate to the GiG workers problem and TimBuckDo solves it very well. The Management Team is driven and looks like Gig workers will continue to grow in India as we are a young economy driven by youth”

Anupam Bansal, Executive Director, Liberty Shoes and Titan on Ideabaaz

“Timbuckdo is opening meaningful pathways for students through gig opportunities, real-time earnings, and exposure to new ideas. I’m proud to support them with both capital and mentorship as they shape the future of young talent.”

Arjun Vaidya Managing Partner, V3 Ventures I Ventures Lead - India, Verlinvest Founder, Dr. Vaidya's (acquired) and Titan on Ideabaaz

"India's young population is a superpower that many don't talk about. With the rest of the world facing an aging population crisis, we have an opportunity. But, we need to do something about it. As a student, I always wanted to work but I never got my due. Seeing the Timbuckdo pitch brought these things together. Respectable, structured and most importantly PAID work for students in a platformized manner. The size of the opportunity is massive and Ideabaaz is excited to see what this team does with it!"

Mudit Kumar, Co-Founder, Ideabaaz

“The gig economy is redefining how young Bharat learns, earns, and experiments and it's no longer limited to professionals - it’s rapidly becoming a gateway for students and young talent to gain real-world exposure early. Timbuckdo is playing a critical role in building this culture by enabling structured, trusted gig opportunities at scale. We believe platforms like these will be foundational to Bharat’s future of work.”

Co-Founder Statements

Mythri Kumar, Co-founder, TimBuckdo -

“Ideabaaz gave us a stage to share our mission, but the trust placed in us throughout the diligence and funding process has been the true milestone. We intend to use the funds and the exposure from the show judiciously to strengthen our student community and make gig work a widely adoptable culture. With marquee investors backing us, our confidence in scaling TimBuckdo has only grown stronger.”

Apoorv Sharma Prasad, Co-founder, TimBuckdo -

“Closing this round with the backing of respected investors and partners is a moment of immense responsibility. The process was detailed and thorough, and its successful completion gives us the momentum to accelerate our next phase-from our AI-led student engine to expanding across campuses nationwide.”

About TimBuckdo

TimBuckdo is India’s first social-commerce platform built exclusively for students, empowering them to earn, upskill, and become financially self-reliant through meaningful gig opportunities. The platform brings together AI-driven job matching, dynamic in-store discounts via QR codes, a rapidly expanding campus ambassador network, and full-stack tools for digitising campus events and activities all designed to strengthen the student gig ecosystem and make part-time work an accessible, reliable, and rewarding culture across India.

About Ideabaaz

Ideabaaz, aired on ZTV and Z5, is a national television platform where all-stage founders pitch to leading business Titans and venture firms. The show bridges entrepreneurship, mentorship, and investment, providing startups visibility and access to experienced investors.

Octobotics Tech Pvt. Ltd., an industrial robotics company, has announced the successful closure of its Series Seed funding round of approximately Rs. 10 crore.

Octobotics Cofounders Mr Ishan Bhatnagar on left and Mr Gulshan Kumar on right

The round was led by Navam Capital, with participation from BYT Capital. The funds will be deployed to accelerate product development, strengthen field validation, and support international expansion.

Founded in 2020 by Ishan Bhatnagar and Gulshan Kumar, Octobotics develops AI-enabled, vertically integrated Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) robotics platforms engineered for harsh environments across industrial and rail applications.

The company currently serves leading organisations including the Indian Navy, IOCL, Saudi S-Chem, BPCL, HPCL, Aarti Industries, and GSFC, and recorded Rs. 2 crore in annual revenue in the last fiscal year.

“This capital will support R&D for vertical integration and the pursuit of IECEx and ATEX certifications, while expanding our operations in India, Singapore, and the Middle East,” said Ishan Bhatnagar and Gulshan Kumar, Co-Founders of Octobotics. “The distribution-led approach allows us to deploy these systems to assist human operators and reduce the need for manual tasks in hazardous environments.”

Commenting on the investment, Dr. Anjan Ray, Investment Partner at Navam Capital, said, “Octobotics is addressing specific maintenance challenges within critical infrastructure. Their focus on a vertically integrated technology stack and a scalable distribution model provides a clear path for serving the global inspection market.”

In asset-intensive industries such as Oil & Gas, Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Marine, Power, Fertilizers, and Rail, competitiveness is increasingly driven by safety, operability, and asset uptime. However, several high-risk inspection zones—including corroded surfaces, elevated structures, confined spaces, and complex geometries—continue to pose challenges for conventional manual inspection methods.

The company addresses complex inspection challenges by automating hazardous tasks and converting field measurements into actionable asset integrity intelligence. By enabling earlier detection of defects, corrosion, and material loss, Octobotics helps operators reduce operational risk and minimise unplanned downtime. Its robotic and sensor-driven workflows capture high-fidelity inspection data, which is analysed using predictive analytics to deliver a unified, decision-ready view of asset health.

The founders first connected at MERI Kolkata and later built careers in complex international operations. Ishan Bhatnagar previously managed maritime operations and automation at Singapore-based BW Maritime, while Gulshan Kumar served as an Operations & Maintenance Engineer at Belgian dredging major D.E.M.E. Inspired by the “Make in India” mission, they returned to India to build data-driven, field-ready inspection solutions for critical infrastructure.

Octobotics’ product portfolio includes PA RailScan, a PAUT-based system for rail track weld inspection that enables consistent defect detection and repeatable inspection quality at scale; Weld Sensei, an automated inspection platform designed for precision data acquisition in hazardous environments where manual inspection is impractical or unsafe; and Reach Master, a specialised NDT tool developed for inspection tasks in hard-to-reach and high-elevation zones.

About Octobotics

Octobotics is an India-based industrial robotics company building AI-enabled NDT platforms for high-risk inspection environments. The company combines field-grade sensing and robotics with predictive analytics to help operators improve safety, reduce downtime, and extend asset life across industrial and rail infrastructure.

Deepak Lamba, Founder & CEO, ImagiNxt

The partnership brings together ImagiNxt’s ambition to build a world-class, future-facing technology platform with MeitY Startup Hub’s national mandate to catalyse innovation across startups, deep tech, and emerging digital technologies under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India. As part of the collaboration, MeitY Startup Hub will contribute to ImagiNxt 2026’s startup-led programming, policy conversations, and curated ecosystem engagements, enabling deeper participation from founders, innovators, and ecosystem institutions.

Scheduled for 22–23 May 2026 at the Jio World Centre, ImagiNxt 2026 is being built as a global convening where technology, enterprise, policy, science, and creativity intersect, with a strong emphasis on scalable, inclusive, and future-ready innovation.

Deepak Lamba, Founder and CEO, ImagiNxt, said, “India’s digital ambition will be realised by how effectively startups, policy and enterprise move together — at speed and at scale. Partnering with MeitY Startup Hub strengthens ImagiNxt’s ability to serve as a platform where founders are not merely visible, but structurally connected to capital, markets, policymakers and global opportunity. This collaboration is about translating innovation intent into measurable outcomes for India’s technology future.”

Dr Panneerselvam Madanagopal, CEO, MeitY Startup Hub, said, “India’s digital growth depends on strong collaboration between government, industry, startups and academia. ImagiNxt brings these stakeholders together in a structured and forward-looking way. I look forward to being part of ImagiNxt 2026 and contributing to conversations focused on building scalable, inclusive and future-ready technology for India.”

The partnership reflects a shared belief that India’s next phase of growth will be driven by startups, digital public infrastructure, and enabling policy frameworks that support innovation at a population scale.

Further details on MeitY Startup Hub-led sessions, startup showcases, and ecosystem initiatives at ImagiNxt 2026 will be announced in the coming months.

About MeitY Startup Hub (MSH)

MeitY Startup Hub (MSH) is the national startup and innovation platform of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India. MSH fosters innovation across deep tech, electronics, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, gaming, and emerging technologies by connecting startups with government, industry, academia, and investors to accelerate innovation-led nation building.

About ImagiNxt 2026

ImagiNxt 2026 is India’s Festival of Technology and Innovation, built with the objective of enabling innovation-led nation building. The inaugural edition will be held on 22–23 May 2026 at the Jio World Centre, Mumbai, convening global technology leaders, enterprises, investors, policymakers, startups, researchers, and creators to shape India’s technology and innovation agenda for the next decade.

Curated by ImaginatioNxt Private Limited, ImagiNxt accelerates outcomes by connecting capital, markets, policy, and human experience, with focus areas spanning artificial intelligence, deep tech, digital public infrastructure, robotics, sustainability, enterprise transformation, and creator-driven economies.

UnboxingBLR - Namma Bengaluru Challenge '26 winners with jury

NBC '26 is turning Bengaluru into a sandbox for finding solutions to climate-triggered challenges that the city faces. The challenge aspires to test ideas that can be piloted on real streets, real buildings and real communities before scaling up across cities.

The five winners were selected from nearly 600 registrations from across India, making NBC ʼ26 one of the country’s most competitive and high-impact climate innovation challenges.

Over the next six months, the startups will pilot solutions that directly address Bengaluruʼs most urgent environmental challenges across construction, water and waste—a few critical pillars of the cityʼs Bengaluru Climate Action and Resilience Plan (BCAP).

“Bengaluru is running out of time on climate, but not out of ideas. What NBC ʼ26 proves is that when entrepreneurs, government and industry come together, we can move from pilots to real solutions that change how the city is built, powered and sustained,ˮ said Prashanth Prakash, Chairman and Co-founder, UnboxingBLR.

NBC '26 is powered by a strong consortium of partners committed to systemic change.

Challenge Partners

• Bangalore International Airport Limited

• Brigade Group

Program Partners

• Bangalore Climate Action Cell (Climate Action Partner)

• WRI India (Knowledge Partner)

• Brigade REAP

• CoEvolve Estates (Pilot Partner)

• Biome Environmental Solutions (Pilot Partner)

• GoodEarth (Pilot Partner)

Why this matters now:

Bengaluru has lost 93% of its lakes and green cover to urban expansion, while construction has grown by over 1,000% in the last two decades. The result: worsening water shortages, rising heat, polluted air and fragile waste systems — all hitting the cityʼs most vulnerable
communities the hardest.

NBC ʼ26 bridges this gap by moving climate innovation out of labs and into neighbourhoods, backed by government, industry and investors working together.

“We are thrilled to see the exciting diversity of innovators selected in the Namma Bengaluru Challenge ʼ26, with solutions spanning sustainable construction materials, effluent treatment, and circular materials. This reflects a growing recognition that impactful climate-tech solutions must be as varied as the urban challenges we face. The pilots enabled through this challenge will help de-risk promising technologies, strengthen pathways to scale, and accelerate real-world impact in Bengaluru and beyond. We look forward to partnering with this cohort as they move from bold ideas to demonstrable outcomes that advance urban sustainability and resilience,ˮ said Manoj Kumar, Founder, Social Alpha.

The Five NBC ʼ26 Winners

1. Carbon Craft Design

Category: Sustainable Construction

Founder: Tejas Sidnal

Carbon Craft Design is reinventing building materials using low-carbon blocks and panels made from industrial waste and recovered carbon. Their products can replace conventional bricks, tiles and facades—cutting emissions where Bengaluru produces them the most: in construction.

2. SatiQ Concrete Manufacturer

Category: Low-Carbon Concrete

Founders: Shantanu Bhattacherjee, Smrati Jain

SatiQ Concrete Manufacturer develops next-generation cement binders that dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of concrete. By working directly with ready-mix plants, precast manufacturers and builders, Satiq is helping decarbonise the backbone of Indiaʼs urban growth.

3. Tellus Habitat

Category: Water & Sanitation

Founders: Dr. Seema Sukhani, Naveen Janardhana

Tellus Habitatʼs R3H2O system treats sewage locally using advanced bio-filters, making wastewater reusable for gardening, flushing and cleaning. This reduces dependence on freshwater while easing pressure on Bengaluruʼs overburdened sewage network.

4. Go Do Good

Category: Plastic-Free Packaging

Founders: Khushboo Gandhi, Chanakya Medh, Ronak Gandhi

Go Do Good has created 100% plant-based coatings and inks that replace plastic layers in food packaging. Their technology keeps food safe and fresh—without adding to the mountains

of plastic waste choking Bengaluruʼs landfills.

5. Sunbird Straws

Category: Circular Biomaterials

Founders: Chirag M G, Saji Varghese

Sunbird Straws makes fully compostable straws from fallen coconut leaves—strong enough for hours of use, yet completely biodegradable. The model also creates income for rural women, linking climate action with livelihoods.

A model for Indian cities

As Indian cities grapple with heat waves, floods, water shortages and waste crises, NBC ʼ26 offers a new blueprint—where government, corporates and climate entrepreneurs move in lockstep from pilot to policy to scale.

“Cities donʼt become climate-resilient through intent — they become resilient through evidence. The pilots under NBC ʼ26 will generate exactly the kind of data cities need to scale what works and move faster on climate action,ˮ said Pavitra Shankar, Managing Director, Brigade Group.

“The real challenge in climate innovation is not invention, itʼs adoption and scale-up. NBC ʼ26 creates that missing bridge — by backing bold solutions that can be piloted and scaled up at a city-level. The challenge brings capital, founders and the city together to solve problems in the startup capital Bengaluru,ˮ added Malini Goyal, Co-Founder & CEO, UnboxingBLR.

“Urban climate challenges demand solutions that are practical, scalable, and rooted in collaboration. Platforms like the Namma Bengaluru Challenge create the conditions for innovation to move from concept to real-world application. At BIAL, we are committed to supporting solutions that are evidence-led and capable of delivering lasting environmental impact for the city,ˮ said Hari Marar, Managing Director & CEO, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL).

UnboxingBLR

UnboxingBLR (UBLR) is a Bengaluru-focused collaborative platform dedicated to celebrating and shaping the city’s culture and identity. Founded in 2023 by Prashanth Prakash and Malini Goyal, UBLR brings together people, communities, and institutions to co-create Bengaluru’s story, serving as a city champion, idea catalyst, and collaborative platform.

UBLR drives initiatives such as the Namma Bengaluru Challenge, an accelerator that supports startups and changemakers tackling urban challenges; BLR Hubba, a city-wide festival celebrating art and culture; the annual We Are City Data Report, a data-driven snapshot of how citizens experience and engage with Bengaluru; and Code to Culture, a podcast exploring the city and its people. Together, these initiatives highlight citizen-led innovation and showcase Bengaluru’s cultural vibrancy in action.

PayU’s Startup Republic campaign launches with a 120-second hero film capturing the collective spirit of India's entrepreneurial republic, followed by a series of 36 five-minute documentary films
 

India's startup landscape, as of December 31, 2025, boasts more than 2 lakh DPIIT-recognized startups, spanning D2C and diverse business verticals, that have generated employment for over 2.1 million people, with women representation in leadership roles (as directors or partners) exceeding 45%. 

The initiative includes showcasing entrepreneurs from DPIIT-registered startups located in emerging entrepreneurial hubs outside the metros, highlighting narratives from geographically underrepresented regions. Through this inclusive strategy, entrepreneurial achievements from India's varied territories gain nationwide recognition and visibility through a unified story of national progress.

The campaign launches with a 120-second hero film capturing the collective spirit of India's entrepreneurial republic, followed by a series of 36 five-minute documentary films. Spanning diverse segments including lifestyle, travel, health, FMCG, and others, these films represent the true breadth of India's entrepreneurial republic. Each film profiles a founder from a different state or union territory, offering an intimate look at their journey, challenges and aspirations. Rolling out across PayU's social channels starting January 23^rd ahead of Republic Day celebrations, these stories demonstrate how India's startup ecosystem embodies the 'Made in India, built for the world' ethos reshaping the nation's economic landscape.

"The next decade of India's digital economy will be built by founders who understand local consumers deeply and scale with global ambition. At PayU, we believe India's greatest asset is its entrepreneurial spirit. Startup Republic celebrates entrepreneurs actively writing India's future through authentic storytelling, because innovation has no zip code in India and real nation-building happens when founders from Ladakh to Lakshadweep see that their dreams matter. This initiative reflects where India is headed, not just where it stands today," said Vineet Sethi, Chief Growth and Marketing Officer, PayU.
 

“Under Startup India, India’s startup ecosystem is moving beyond scale to focus on depth and genuine impact. With innovation reaching every state and union territory, entrepreneurship is becoming a powerful nation-building force. Initiatives like Startup Republic showcase these diverse success stories, proving that India’s innovation economy is growing well beyond the metros,” said Shri Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.

This campaign celebrates D2C startups, an integral segment of PayU's merchant ecosystem, bringing these nation-builders into the spotlight during India's most significant patriotic moment. Under an MoU with DPIIT, PayU is working with Startup India to empower startups across India—not just in metro cities—by delivering tailored payment solutions, mentorship, exclusive community access, and fundraising opportunities to support growth at every stage.

PayU also runs InFiNity, India’s leading fintech accelerator, which has enabled 60 startups across two cohorts with 1:1 mentorship, partnership opportunities, and over $5 million in investments, translating founder innovation into real scale.

Watch the film: youtu.be/pw0gGHXj9zc
 

About PayU
PayU, India's leading diversified fintech platform with Prosus as an investor, operates businesses that are regulated by the Reserve Bank of India and offers advanced solutions to meet the digital financial services needs of customers (merchants, banks, and consumers).
 

PayU provides payment gateway solutions to online businesses through its cutting-edge and award-winning technology and has empowered 4.5 lakhs+ businesses, including India’s leading enterprises, e-commerce giants and SMBs. It enables businesses to collect digital payments across 100+ online payment methods such as Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Net Banking, EMIs, pay-later, QR, UPI, Wallets, and more. It’s a preferred partner in the affordability ecosystem, offering the maximum coverage of issuers and easy-to-implement integrations across card-based EMIs, pay-later options, and new-age cardless EMIs. PayU offers e-commerce brands best-in-industry success rates while ensuring a seamless checkout experience.
 

About Startup India
Launched on 16 January 2016, Startup India is a sector-agnostic flagship initiative of the Government of India aimed at building a strong, resilient, and inclusive startup ecosystem across the country. Anchored by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the initiative works to catalyse a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship by enabling startups through progressive policy reforms, ease of doing business measures, access to funding, incubation and mentorship support, and market linkages.

The startup movement, ignited by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has transformed India into one of the world’s fastest-growing innovation hubs. From approximately 500 startups in 2016, the ecosystem has expanded to over 2 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups spanning diverse sectors and geographies, including a significant presence from Tier II and Tier III cities. Startup India continues to play a pivotal role in nurturing homegrown innovation, fostering job creation, promoting inclusive economic growth, and strengthening India’s position as a global startup destination.

(L-R) Mr. Sunny Bhardwaj - National Head Broking, ICICI Lombard, Mr. Amit Jain – CEO & Co-Founder, Girnar Soft & Mr. Sanjeev Mantri – MD & CEO, ICICI Lombard

Recognising this gap, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, India’s leading private general insurer hosted ‘Startup Shield – The Risk Readiness’, a focused awareness initiative designed to help Indian start-ups identify, assess, and mitigate key business risks through structured risk planning and appropriate insurance solutions.

The exclusive event brought together over 100 participants, including startup founders, private equity and venture capital investors, CXOs, industry experts, and risk professionals, for interactive discussions on building resilient and future-ready businesses. The initiative aimed to move the conversation beyond risk avoidance, encouraging founders to adopt a proactive approach to risk preparedness as they scale.

The event saw participation from prominent voices across the start-up ecosystem, including representing the investor and broader ecosystem perspective. The presence of founders and investors at different stages of the startup lifecycle enriched discussions around practical risk planning and long-term business resilience.

Startup Shield focused on risk preparedness across different growth stages, highlighting how early planning can strengthen governance, improve operational resilience, and enhance investor confidence. Sessions addressed emerging and critical risk areas such as cyber and data security, employee health and wellness, professional indemnity, directors and officers (D&O) liability, asset protection, and business interruption.

Experts from ICICI Lombard shared real-world case studies demonstrating how timely insurance coverage and structured risk management have helped startups recover from unexpected disruptions, manage legal and financial exposures, and continue their growth journeys with minimal impact on operations.

The discussions also underscored how risk readiness is increasingly becoming a key consideration during investor due diligence, enterprise partnerships, and board-level decision-making, positioning it as a growth enabler rather than a compliance exercise.

Speaking on the initiative, Mr. Sandeep Goradia - Chief Corporate, International & Bancassurance, ICICI Lombard, said, “India today is the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world, with over 1.8 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups driving innovation, employment, and global competitiveness. As Indian startups build ambitious, high-growth businesses, their exposure to unforeseen risks is also rising. Through Startup Shield, we aim to shift the conversation from reacting to risk to anticipating it — helping founders protect their people, strengthen their businesses, and build lasting stakeholder trust. In doing so, we aspire to become their long-term risk partners, enabling them to scale with resilience, responsibility, and sustainable profitability.”

Through Starup Shield, ICICI Lombard reinforced its commitment to supporting entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable business growth in India. The initiative forms part of the company’s broader efforts to engage with the startup ecosystem and enable founders to build resilient businesses that are prepared not just to grow, but to withstand uncertainty.

About ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited

ICICI Lombard is the leading private general insurance company in the country. The Company offers a comprehensive and well-diversified range of products through multiple distribution channels, including motor, health, crop, fire, personal accident, marine, engineering, and liability insurance. With a legacy of over 2 decades, ICICI Lombard is committed to customer centricity with its brand philosophy of ‘Nibhaye Vaade’. The company has issued over 37.6 million policies, over 3.2 million claims processed and has a Gross Written Premium (GWP) of ₹ 282.58 billion for the year ended March 31, 2025. ICICI Lombard has 328 branches and 15,123 employees, as on March 31, 2025.

ICICI Lombard has been a pioneer in the industry, being the first large-scale insurance company in India to migrate its entire core systems to the cloud. With a strong focus on being digitally-led and agile, the company has introduced multiple AI-powered insurance solutions. The company’s flagship insurance and wellness app, IL TakeCare, which has received over 18.4 million downloads, also offers the industry’s first Face Scan feature. The company has won several prestigious awards- including the Insurance Asia, ICC Emerging Asia Insurance, ET BFSI Exceller, ET Corporate Excellence, Golden Peacock, FICCI Insurance, Assocham, Stevie Asia Pacific, and National CSR in recognition of its various initiatives.

For more details log on to www.icicilombard.com.

Change Engine announced the Mission Billion Summit on January 29, 2026, to be held at the India International Centre, Delhi. Designed as India’s premier ‘founder-first’ platform, the summit will gather over 200 non-profit founders, philanthropists and policymakers with a singular goal: building 100 non-profit unicorns by 2030 - organisations impacting over a million people. 

Change Engine's Mission Billion Summit aims to build 100 non-profit unicorns by 2030

India’s social sector stands at a critical inflection point. A new generation of ambitious founders is emerging, determined to solve complex social problems at ‘India scale’. While the patient capital and catalytic ecosystems required to take these founders from pilot to million-plus impact are beginning to form, the Mission Billion Summit aims to bring these fragmented pieces together.

 
Speaking about the summit, Varun Aggarwal, Co-founder, Change Engine, said "We need a movement towards non-profit unicorns in India, much like the startup movement a decade ago. Mission Billion Summit will bring together all stakeholders to solve our most pressing developmental challenges. With founders at the centre, we are creating an ecosystem where you can move beyond pilots and master the playbook to reach national-level impact using evidence-driven interventions with the right collaborators.”

Shubham Bansal, Co-founder, Change Engine, added, "Mission Billion summit serves as a startup school for non-profits, providing the actionable toolkits - from how to partner with government to building evidence to raising capital. Our goal is to empower founders to build for the entire nation, not just a single zip code.”

The summit is structured across two parallel tracks featuring 25+ speakers, 12+ sessions, and 3 workshop-style masterclasses designed to address the core challenges of non-profit scale:

• Building Nonprofit Unicorns: A startup-school style track covering topics such as evidence-building beyond RCTs, fundraising and innovation capital, partnering with government, and community-led scale.

• Tackling Wicked Problems: Focused conversations on what works (and what doesn't) across key domains, including welfare and social protection, education, and governance, bringing together practitioners and thinkers working at the cutting edge of these challenges.

Each track will feature deep-dive sessions and masterclasses designed to surface actionable insights, cross-sector partnerships, and scalable innovations. 

A key highlight of the summit will be the launch of Change Engine’s first report in the ‘Ease of Doing Non-profits’ series. Based on a first-of-its-kind survey of social entrepreneurs, the report identifies the structural barriers preventing high-potential non-profits from reaching 'unicorn' scale. The preliminary findings reveal a systemic lack of ‘innovation capital’ - the flexible, high-risk funding required for non-profits to experiment and scale.

The summit will see participation from prominent philanthropists, including Sanjeev Bikhchandani (Info Edge), Aakanksha Gulati (ACT Grants), Murugan Vasudevan (Veddis Foundation), Chetan (Tech Mahindra Foundation), Riti Mohapatra (The Bridgespan Group), amongst others. 

It will also feature senior leaders from organisations that have successfully scaled impact, such as Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, Central Square Foundation, Avanti Fellows, Rocket Learning, Agami, CORO, Sneha, XKDR, amongst others. 

Mission Billion Summit deepens Change Engine's commitment to building a thriving ecosystem for mission-driven founders by providing the capital, knowledge, and partnerships needed to transform pilots into national solutions. 

For more information and registration, please visit the Change Engine website.

About Change Engine
Change Engine supports exceptional founders in building non-profit unicorns - organisations that can meaningfully impact a million people. We do this through our unique sandbox for non-profits, which includes support for leveraging data and evidence, partnering with the government, applying product and tech expertise, and deploying catalytic seed capital.

Over the last few years, we've worked with 10 non-profits that have raised over $2M in follow-up funding in addition to our support. We also published the Playbook for Nonprofit Unicorns - the first data-backed guide for founders created from insights drawn from 30+ organisations that have scaled. We've been featured extensively in The Economic Times, Mint, India Development Review (IDR) and Brut India for our work on scaling social impact through evidence-based frameworks and strategic partnerships.

 IIT Bombay’s TIH Concludes ATMAN 3.0; 6 Health-tech Startups to Receive Upto INR 6-crore Cumulative Seed Funding

ATMAN 3.0 saw strong participation from across India, with 173 HealthTech startups pitching their ideas to TIH IIT Bombay. Following a rigorous selection and mentoring process, 06 startups emerged as winners from the final cohort of 13 accelerated ventures. On Demo Day, the selected startups were recommended for a total cumulative seed funding amounting to INR 6 crore, with each startup receiving funding support of up to INR 1 Crore, subject to evaluation outcomes.

 IIT Bombay’s TIH Concludes ATMAN 3.0; 6 Health-tech Startups to Receive Upto INR 6-crore Cumulative Seed Funding

The shortlisted start-ups are Prezitech Health Pvt Ltd, (Precigo: a snap-on needle tracking system for ultrasound machines for real-time procedural planning and guidance during high precision medical interventions), Attox Research Laboratories Pvt Ltd. (AMRIT for antimicrobial resistance), Queliz Lifetech Pvt Ltd. (UltraHand, a robotic rehabilitation device), Deepfacts Private Ltd. (proRITHM is an AI-powered remote patient monitoring platform using a compact wireless, wearable device to track vitals in real time), MicroHeal and Raycura Medical Technologies (BETTER a rehabilitation device for stroke/paralysis recovery).

Commenting on the successful conclusion of the programme, Mr. Kiran Shesh, CEO, Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) at IIT Bombay, said, “ATMAN 3.0 is more than an accelerator—it’s a movement to transform bold HealthTech ideas into scalable, world-class solutions. This cohort showcases cutting-edge innovations that reflect India’s rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem. Bigger, bolder, and future-focused, ATMAN 3.0 champions sustainability, deep tech, and global competitiveness. With access to top-tier mentorship, domain experts, and strategic investor networks, founders are empowered to create solutions that truly matter. ATMAN 3.0 reaffirms India’s potential to lead global innovation—where every idea ignites change and shapes the future of healthcare.”

Mr. Hardik Joshi, COO, Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) at IIT Bombay, added, “ATMAN 3.0 accelerator has been designed to provide founders with a comprehensive support framework that goes beyond funding. From technology validation and regulatory guidance to investor readiness and industry connections, the programme enables startups to strengthen their foundations for sustainable growth. The strong participation from investors and ecosystem stakeholders at Demo Day highlights the relevance and readiness of the startups graduating from this cohort.”

The gathering featured a keynote address by Mr. Dileep Mangsuli, Chairman of Cancer Treatment Services International and Senior Vice President at Siemens Healthineers, who noted, that the future of healthcare lies in delivering quality care at scale across geographies, with artificial intelligence playing a pivotal role in early screening and prevention. He highlighted that technology adoption must be driven by real-world impact—addressing prevalent healthcare challenges where it makes both clinical and economic sense. Mr. Mangsuli outlined three foundational pillars shaping this transformation: patient twinning to enable individualized care pathways, precision therapy to improve outcomes, and the intelligent use of digital data and AI to support informed, timely clinical decision-making.

In addition to startup pitches, Demo Day was marked with discussions on investment trends in healthcare, evolving regulatory frameworks, and emerging technology models shaping the future of the sector. The event also enabled portfolio startups from earlier TIH IIT Bombay programmes to connect with investors for follow-on funding and strategic partnerships. Dedicated networking spaces facilitated meaningful dialogue between founders, investors, and industry stakeholders.

Through ATMAN 3.0, TIH IIT Bombay continues to strengthen its role in bridging the gap between research and commercialisation, reinforcing IIT Bombay’s position as a key enabler of scalable, impact-driven healthcare innovation in India.

About TIH IIT Bombay
The Technology Innovation Hub for Translational Research on IoT and IoE (TIH‑IoT) at IIT Bombay is a Section 8 not‑for‑profit company established under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber‑Physical Systems (NM‑ICPS). The Hub is dedicated to advancing translational research, entrepreneurship, and innovation across sectors including healthcare, BFSI, agriculture, Industry 5.0, smart infrastructure, and education. By fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and government, TIH IIT Bombay enables innovators to transform research into scalable solutions that serve both society and the economy. Through initiatives like the ATMAN accelerator, TIH IIT Bombay is building a sustainable bridge between concept and commercialization, positioning IIT Bombay as a central hub for next‑generation technologies.

Website- tihiitb.org/programs/innovation-entrepreneurship-development/atman-3
Instagram- www.instagram.com/tih_iitb
LinkedIn- www.linkedin.com/company/technology-innovation-hub

Startup Runway Table 

Prominent Attendees and Industry Leaders

The event witnessed participation from several respected leaders and decision-makers, including Mr. Hamid Dakhil, Dr. DJ Zawar, Mr. Puneet Thakur, Mr. Piyush Rathi, Mr. Vishal Dhoot, Mr. Manish K Prahlad, Mr. Ajay Data, Mr. Dheeraj Vijayvargiya, Mr. Adhiraj Mehra, Mr. Deepak Faria Shah, Mr. Jignesh Patel, Ms. Nitika Khurana, and Ms. Rhythm Jain, whose presence added strategic depth and credibility to the discussions.

L to R - Mr Mandhar, Mr Ajay Data, Mr. Hamid Dakhil, Ms. Shwera Choudhary

Strong Funding Momentum

One of the major highlights of the evening was the announcement of approximately Rs. 5 crore in investment interest, collectively expressed by 5–6 prominent leaders in attendance. The interest was directed toward multiple early-stage and growth-stage startups that presented during the event, showcasing strong business fundamentals, scalability, and market readiness.

Startup Runway Table: A Curated Innovation Showcase

A standout feature of the XLR8AR Innovation Jamboree was the Startup Runway Table, a specially curated experiential zone designed to give startups direct visibility with investors, mentors, and strategic partners. Unlike traditional exhibition formats, the runway table allowed founders to present their products, brand stories, and growth vision in an interactive, high-engagement environment.

The runway featured consumer and lifestyle brands such as Namo Jewellers, StepWhere, Esperance Bags, Hoora, Allure, HealthyScoop, and Rangat Jaipur, each demonstrating innovation across design, sustainability, wellness, and customer experience.

In addition, high-potential startups including Greenmanure, Hobnob, Aeyi, Growmyrx.ai, Edulyst, Ecowrap, and Loadmee attracted strong interest from investors and industry leaders for their technology-driven solutions, scalable models, and alignment with future market needs.

The Startup Runway Table played a pivotal role in initiating meaningful conversations, follow-up meetings, and early-stage investment discussions, making it one of the most impactful engagement formats of the evening.

Voices from the Ecosystem

Sharing his experience, MilapSinh Jadeja said, “The diversity and quality of the crowd stood out—networking with leaders from across India and beyond made this one of the most meaningful interactions.”

Vineet Khurana highlighted the maturity of participating startups, stating, “The SME startups showcased strong execution and impressive growth momentum. It’s encouraging to see founders scaling so quickly with such early-stage experience.”

Adding a strategic perspective, Yogesh Choudhary remarked, “It’s not just about capital; it’s about how effectively you leverage the business network around you. That’s where the real value lies.”

Key Highlights and Outcomes

• Strong cross-border collaboration synergies discussed among founders and investors

• Around Rs. 5 crore in co-investment interest announced for startups showcased at the runway and pitch sessions

• Entrepreneurs from multiple regions of India committed to joint collaborations targeted for 2026 expansion, strengthening the national startup ecosystem

The evening concluded with high-energy networking, reinforcing XLR8AR’s mission to create long-term, value-driven partnerships rather than one-time transactional interactions.

L to R: Onkar Bagaria, Mandar Shrikant Joshi, Shweta Choudhary, Anish Maheshwari, Digvijay Singh

Onkar Bagaria: Capital Discipline Meets Capability Building

Strategic Partner for Innovher, Onkar Bagaria brings a distinctive perspective shaped by investment banking, institutional leadership, and generational business wisdom. His grounding in structured finance and capital markets, coupled with his role as CEO at VGU, one of Rajasthan’s leading private university, allows him to bridge the often disconnected worlds of financial discipline and capability creation.

Within InnovHer, he plays a critical role in strengthening investor readiness frameworks, capital structuring confidence, governance orientation, and sustainable long-term planning. His family business legacy adds an important generational lens, focusing not only on growth but on reputation, credibility, and risk stewardship. For Tier 2 ventures aspiring to command serious institutional trust, his involvement ensures that capital aspiration is matched with financial prudence.

Mandar Shrikant Joshi: Aligning Tier 2 Ambitions With Global Standards

As Strategic Partner at Innovher for Global Venture Building and Ecosystem Design, Mandar Shrikant Joshi introduces a powerful international calibration layer to InnovHer’s mission. His experience spans venture building, startup ecosystems, investor readiness, and strategic alignment across multiple geographies and market cycles. He understands how founders evolve, how ecosystems mature, and what separates globally competitive ventures from locally confined aspirations.

At InnovHer, he focuses on aligning venture-building frameworks with international benchmarks, strengthening cross-border linkages, and preparing founders for global markets and capital expectations. His inputs are particularly impactful for sectors such as D2C, luxury, and lifestyle where aspiration must be backed with robust execution structures. Through his lens, InnovHer reinforces a central belief: Tier 2 origin is not a limitation. With the right discipline, founders from emerging ecosystems can build ventures that confidently operate on a global stage.

Anish Maheshwari: Governance Strength and Capital Stewardship

In a startup climate often driven by speed over structure, Anish Maheshwari, Director at VSure Investments, Mumbai, brings the stabilizing force of governance maturity and capital stewardship to InnovHer. As Strategic Partner at InnovHer for Corporate Governance and Capital Stewardship, he anchors the leadership bench with boardroom-grade seriousness.

He contributes deeply to corporate governance frameworks, investment structuring sanity, compliance sophistication, and investor confidence building. He ensures that ambition is supported by institutional safeguards, enabling founders to grow without exposing themselves to avoidable risks. At a time when credible investors increasingly demand transparency, discipline, and ethical capital management, his presence serves as a crucial assurance mechanism. For InnovHer, this balance between growth velocity and governance integrity is not optional. It is foundational.

Digvijay Singh: Architecting Digital Presence and Platform Trust

If InnovHer represents vision and institutional maturity, it also stands for lived mentorship and human evolution. Digvijay Singh, Director at InnovHer, represents that journey. Once mentored by InnovHer’s founder, he has grown into a core execution pillar and narrative custodian of the platform.

With a deep understanding of digital media, content ecosystems, and platform storytelling, he strengthens how InnovHer and its portfolio communicate credibility, trust, and relevance in today’s attention-driven digital economy. His work spans brand architecture, digital strategy, founder communication frameworks, narrative discipline, and media design. Beyond strategy, his journey from being a learner to becoming a leader reflects InnovHer’s belief in compounding human capital, not just financial capital.

A Convergence of Experience with One Aligned Mission

What truly distinguishes InnovHer’s leadership is not individual brilliance, but strategic complementarity. Capital markets expertise, governance strength, global venture wisdom, digital strategy, and institutional vision converge into one coherent operating philosophy: build ventures that are execution ready, capital credible, and institutionally governed from day one. With leaders like Onkar Bagaria, Mandar Shrikant Joshi, Anish Maheshwari, and Digvijay Singh rallying behind Dr. Shweta Choudhary’s vision, InnovHer’s momentum has moved beyond being founder driven. It is now institution anchored.

From Jaipur, InnovHer is quietly rewriting what Tier 2 entrepreneurship can represent in India. Not through noise. Not through rushed scaling. But by earning trust, building discipline, and nurturing a culture of seriousness around entrepreneurship. When experience aligns with purpose and integrity, institutions are not built overnight. They are built to endure. InnovHer stands as a testament to that belief.

24 Months of Entrepreneurial Innovation at InnovHer: Building Institutional-Grade Venture Outcomes from Jaipur

Jaipur, India - India’s startup ecosystem is at an inflection point. As capital becomes more selective and founders are increasingly evaluated on execution rather than vision alone, a new class of venture platforms is emerging—focused not on speed or scale optics, but on discipline, governance, and long-term value creation.

From a Tier-2 city, InnovHer has quietly positioned itself within this shift, demonstrating that institutional venture outcomes are no longer the exclusive domain of metro ecosystems.

In just two years of operations, InnovHer has built a credible venture creation and acceleration platform rooted in Jaipur-combining capital stewardship, founder readiness, and ecosystem infrastructure. Its recent milestone is particularly noteworthy: a first exit within one year, delivering an IRR of over 50%, an outcome that reinforces the platform’s thesis that disciplined venture building compounds faster than episodic acceleration.

Building from a Tier-2 City, by Design
Jaipur’s rise as an innovation hub has been gradual rather than headline-driven. While the city has long been known for education, culture, and enterprise, its startup ecosystem has historically lacked institutional venture builders capable of translating early-stage ambition into investor-grade companies.

InnovHer was founded to address this gap.

Rather than replicating metro-centric accelerator models, the platform adopted an institution-first approach-treating venture creation as infrastructure rather than programming. From the outset, InnovHer focused on embedding governance, execution rigor, and milestone-based capital deployment into its operating model.

This design choice has proven critical in a market where founders face increasing scrutiny around unit economics, compliance, and scalability-especially in Tier-2 regions.

Made by Women, Built for Durability
InnovHer is a woman-led platform, but more importantly, it is shaped by woman-led decision-making principles: execution clarity, accountability, and long-term thinking. Instead of positioning women as beneficiaries alone, InnovHer has embedded women across roles-as founders, mentors, investors, and ecosystem decision-makers.

This operating philosophy has influenced how risk is assessed, how capital is deployed, and how founders are supported. In an environment where hype-driven growth is increasingly penalised, this approach has translated into stronger governance and more resilient outcomes.

Numbers That Signal Institutional Credibility
Over the last two years, InnovHer’s ecosystem activity has translated into tangible outcomes that align with early-stage national benchmarks:

• Seed investments deployed: ₹65 lakhs across early-stage ventures

• Startups onboarded: 23 startups through structured acceleration and venture-building tracks

• Ventures built in-house: 4 ventures co-created with long-term equity ownership

• Co-investments enabled: ₹8 crore alongside investors and ecosystem partners

• Network created: 50+ venture capital firms, angels, and ecosystem enablers actively engaged

• National engagement: 100+ founders, investors, and leaders hosted in Jaipur from across India

• Mentorship & training: 50+ structured mentorship and capacity-building sessions delivered

• Exit milestone: First exit achieved within one year at 50%+ IRR

These figures are not positioned as scale metrics, but as credibility markers—demonstrating that Tier-2 platforms can generate investor-grade outcomes when built with discipline.

From Acceleration to Venture Creation
A defining characteristic of InnovHer’s model is its dual-engine structure. The platform operates both as:

• a venture studio, co-founding select ventures over multi-year horizons with embedded execution across product, GTM, finance, and governance; and

• a startup accelerator, working with external founders to impose execution discipline, capital readiness, and investor alignment.

This allows InnovHer to engage founders at different stages while maintaining accountability across the portfolio.

Every venture is evaluated through thesis alignment, stage gates, and decision-grade outputs—reducing narrative risk for investors and increasing clarity for founders.

Jaipur as a National Convergence Point
One of InnovHer’s most visible ecosystem impacts has been its ability to position Jaipur as a convening city for innovation dialogue. By hosting founders, investors, mentors, and ecosystem leaders from across India, InnovHer has helped shift the city’s role-from a regional participant to a national connector.

For Tier-2 cities, this kind of convergence is essential. It reduces founder isolation, attracts capital attention, and strengthens local confidence. InnovHer’s growing national network has played a key role in making Jaipur a credible stop on India’s startup map.

Capital Stewardship Over Capital Chasing
In a market correction cycle, InnovHer’s emphasis on capital stewardship has resonated strongly with investors—particularly family offices, operators, and strategic angels. Rather than chasing valuation spikes, the platform prioritises:

• milestone-linked capital deployment

• governance oversight and reporting cadence

• realistic exit thinking from early stages

The platform’s first exit, achieved within a year at a 50%+ IRR, is a direct outcome of this philosophy. It signals that disciplined early-stage execution can deliver liquidity faster than hype-driven scaling.

Why InnovHer’s Journey Matters
InnovHer’s progress is significant not just for Jaipur, but for India’s broader startup ecosystem. It demonstrates that:

• Tier-2 cities can host institutional-grade venture platforms

• Women-led leadership strengthens governance and execution outcomes

• Early exits and strong IRRs are possible outside metro clusters

• Venture creation, when treated as infrastructure, compounds faster than event-led ecosystems

As capital becomes more discerning, platforms that combine discipline, inclusion, and long-term thinking are likely to define the next phase of Indian entrepreneurship.

The Road Ahead

• Looking forward, InnovHer remains deliberately measured in its ambitions. The focus is on:

• deepening venture outcomes rather than expanding footprint prematurely

• strengthening co-investment pathways with aligned capital partners

• continuing to build Jaipur as a national innovation convergence point

• reinforcing women’s role as builders, investors, and ecosystem architects

Two years in, InnovHer is no longer an experiment. It is an operating venture creation platform—built from a Tier-2 city, made by women, and already delivering institutional outcomes.

For India’s evolving startup landscape, that may be one of the most important signals yet.

MCats Group Launches Thrive 10.0 to Empower DefenceTech and AgriTech Startups in India
 

Thrive 10.0 is designed to support early-stage and growth-stage startup founders working in Defence Technology and Agricultural Technology by providing practical mentorship, sector-specific insights, and structured venture-building support. The programme aims to help founders build scalable, sustainable businesses that address real-world challenges in these critical sectors.
 

As part of Thrive 10.0, Marwari Catalysts Group is introducing a corporate-linked pathway, enabling select founders to gain access to industry networks, corporate partnerships, and real-world business opportunities. This pathway will be seamlessly integrated into the programme, enhancing value for founders without operating as a separate initiative.
 

The launch of Thrive 10.0 comes at a pivotal moment as India’s DefenceTech market is projected to reach $19 billion by 2030, fueled by a 75% domestic procurement mandate and a surge in dual-use technologies. Simultaneously, the AgriTech sector is witnessing a digital revolution, with a projected valuation of over $34 billion by 2027 as precision farming and AI-driven supply chains become national priorities.
 

Focus on High-Impact Sectors: DefenceTech and AgriTech

Commenting on the launch, Sushil Sharma, CEO & Founder of Marwari Catalysts Group, said, “With the Indian government’s ‘Year of Reforms’ 2025 providing unprecedented policy support and a record $1 billion+ in venture capital flowing into Defencetech and Agritech sectors in the first half of the year alone, there has never been a more lucrative or strategically significant time for founders to scale innovations that safeguard India’s food and national security.”
 

India’s DefenceTech ecosystem is witnessing rapid growth driven by indigenisation, innovation, and government initiatives, while AgriTech continues to play a vital role in improving farmer productivity, sustainability, and rural livelihoods. Thrive 10.0 aligns with these national priorities by supporting founders building meaningful solutions in these domains.
 

What Thrive 10.0 Offers

Founders selected for Thrive 10.0 will benefit from:

• Structured learning programmes tailored to DefenceTech and AgriTech

• Mentorship from experienced founders and industry experts

• Ecosystem exposure and startup network access

• Opportunities for corporate engagement and industry collaboration
   

The programme is designed to help founders move forward with clarity, strategic direction, and execution confidence.
 

Marwari Catalysts Group continues to strengthen India’s startup ecosystem by backing purpose-driven innovation from emerging regions. The launch of Thrive 10.0 marks another significant step in supporting startups in sectors that are critical to India’s economic and technological future.
 

Applications for Thrive 10.0 are now open for founders building innovative solutions in DefenceTech and AgriTech.
Apply Now

About Marwari Catalysts Group
Marwari Catalysts Group (MCats) is one of India’s fastest-growing startup ecosystem player (Accelerator and Venture Studio), with mentors with skin in the game supporting 100+ early-stage ventures across 20+ cities backed by SEBI-approved CAT-I AIF. MCats provide capital, mentorship, and global market access to founders. Its portfolio has already created 5,000+ jobs while driving inclusion through 35% women-led startups and successfully done 11+ exits. We are headquartered in Jodhpur with regional offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Jaipur.

Twin Brothers-Parv Jain AIR 2 and ARGh Jain AIR 8 CLAT 2026

Students of LegalEdge - Delhi, the twins’ achievement stands out not only for the ranks they have secured, but for the clarity and discipline with which they pursued law as a first-choice career. At a time when many students remain uncertain about professional pathways after Class 10, Parv and Argh made an early, conscious decision to prepare for CLAT and committed themselves to a structured, long-term preparation plan.

Enrolled in LegalEdge Delhi’s two-year offline classroom programme at South Extension, the brothers followed nearly identical academic routines - attending the same classes, learning under the same mentors, and engaging in daily discussions to refine concepts across legal aptitude, logical reasoning, and quantitative techniques. Their parallel journey culminated in two Top-10 ranks, a rare outcome in the highly competitive CLAT ecosystem.

“Preparing together helped us stay consistent and grounded. Whenever one of us felt stuck, the other stepped in - and the structured mentoring at LegalEdge ensured we were always moving in the right direction,” the twins shared.

Their parents described the moment as deeply emotional. “Seeing both our sons choose the same path and succeed through discipline and sustained effort has been incredibly fulfilling,” they said.

Faculty members at LegalEdge Delhi describe Parv and Argh as disciplined, curious learners who trusted the process. “CLAT preparation is a marathon. When students commit early and stay consistent, results follow,” senior mentors noted.

“At LegalEdge Delhi & Gurugram, our focus has never been only on ranks, but on the journey of every student and the trust every parent places in us. We consciously work towards creating the right academic environment - one that combines structure, mentorship, emotional support, and consistency. When students feel guided and confident, outcomes follow naturally. Our student-to-selection ratio of nearly 4:1 is a reflection of this sustained, student-first approach rather than a numbers-driven mindset,” said Vikaas Wahi, Director, LegalEdge Delhi & Gurugram.

With Parv Jain (AIR 2) and Argh Jain (AIR 8) now set to join National Law University, Bengaluru, their story reflects how the right academic platform, combined with clarity of purpose and mentorship, can turn aspiration into achievement.

LegalEdge’s CLAT 2026 results from its Delhi centres (South Extension, Connaught Place, Pitampura and Dwarka) and Gurugram centres (Sector 14 and Nirvana) reflect this trend, with students securing four Top 10 ranks and fourteen Top 100 ranks, and over 300 expected NLU selections. The centres have earlier produced AIR 1 in CLAT 2025 and CLAT 2022, underscoring sustained academic consistency.

About Toprankers

Founded in 2016, Toprankers is a leading Indian EdTech platform focused on career counselling and entrance exam preparation for pathways beyond engineering and medicine. Its mission is to create awareness, access, and higher success rates for high-potential careers after Class 12 across Law, Management, Design, Humanities, Commerce, and Judiciary. LegalEdge was founded by Harsh Gagrani, along with Karan Mehta and Gaurav Goel, and is recognized for its classroom-led and mentorship-driven approach. Toprankers runs 50+ centres across India, teaching 20,000+ classroom students and serving 30,000+ learners overall, while operating India’s most-searched non-STEM test-prep platform, with 1.5M monthly users and 20M+ page views across Law, Management, and Design & Architecture.

Website: www.toprankers.com.

Panasonic leadership during Ignition 3.0, reinforcing commitment to co-creating scalable, tech-driven solutions for India’s residential ecosystem

Anchored in the theme “Residential Business Challenges,” this edition of Ignition spotlighted innovations that enhance modern living through smart technologies, sustainable practices, personal wellness, connected devices, and community-focused solutions.

IGNITE winner solutions in brief:

• Red Health - Operates a technology-led platform offering integrated emergency response services covering "first minute to last mile.

• Respirer Living Sciences - Develops IoT-enabled energy recovery ventilators that maintain healthy indoor air without wasting energy

Organized in partnership with Beyond Next Ventures, Panasonic Ignition attracted strong interest from India’s startup ecosystem, receiving 113 applications from early to mid-stage ventures across the country. Following a rigorous multi-stage evaluation process, 11 promising startups were selected for a three-month cohort, where they participated in curated masterclasses, received mentoring from Panasonic and Beyond Next Ventures, refined their business models, strengthened product strategy, and underwent technology validation with industry experts.

Mr. Tadashi Chiba, MD & CEO, Panasonic Life Solutions India, stated, “India is now the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem, expanding rapidly at 12–15% each year. This momentum inspires us to deepen our commitment to co-creating meaningful solutions. Our philosophy, ‘Create Today, Enrich Tomorrow’ reminds us that innovation must serve a larger purpose, that is, improving the quality of life and contributing to an ideal society. The third edition of Panasonic Ignition embodies this belief, showcasing responsible, future-ready innovations that are poised to transform how people experience their homes and communities.”

With India’s residential landscape undergoing rapid transformation, Panasonic remains committed to collaborating with agile, forward-looking innovators. The insights and solutions emerging from this cohort will guide future product development, shape strategic partnerships, and enable market-ready innovations—all aligned with Panasonic’s long-term vision of delivering homes that are safer, smarter, more efficient, and truly enriching for customers across India.

Mr. Kunio Gohara, Chief Transformation Officer (CTRO) and Head of the CVC Office, Panasonic Corporation, said, “The Panasonic Kurashi Visionary Fund (PKVF) views India as one of the most important innovation ecosystems in the world. With Ignition’s third cohort, we see a new generation of startups building category-defining technologies in safety, wellness, energy, and community living. For us, Ignition is not only an accelerator—it is a strategic investment pipeline. As a CVC, we are committed to identifying founders who can become long-term partners in Panasonic’s global transformation. We will continue to explore investment opportunities in high-potential Indian startups and co-create solutions that can scale across markets and shape the future of residential living.”

Mr. Manish Misra, Chief Innovation Officer, Panasonic Life Solutions India (PLSIND), added, “At Panasonic, innovation is not just a function—it is how we create meaningful value for every resident we serve. Ignition 3.0 has shown the power of co-creating with startups to solve the rapidly evolving needs of Indian households. This year’s winners, Red Health and Respirer Living Sciences , embody the next generation of scalable, human-centric residential solutions. Their work reinforces our belief that collaborative innovation is the fastest path to building safer, healthier, and smarter homes for India."

Mr. Tsuyoshi Ito, President & CEO, Beyond Next Ventures, iterates, “Panasonic Ignition 3.0 has unearthed groundbreaking solutions that promise to make our homes safer, healthier, and more comfortable. We extend our heartiest congratulations to the winners, whose innovations in residential technology will continue to set a new benchmark. Through our partnership with Panasonic, we are excited for these startups to serve millions of households and communities worldwide. At Beyond Next Ventures, we are dedicated to empowering Indian entrepreneurs to expand their horizons through global partnerships.”

Alongside the IGNITE winners, Panasonic also recognized the ACCELERATE award winners —Ambiator, Biomoneta, Cantata, Kubo Care for their high-impact potential. These startups will work with Panasonic on pilot deployments and explore opportunities for mid-term strategic partnerships.

These solutions represent the next frontier of smart, sustainable, and human-centric technologies designed to elevate the residential and consumer lifestyle experience in India.

Panasonic Ignition has evolved from a focused startup accelerator into one of India’s most forward-looking open innovation platforms, now dedicated to solving large-scale, future-of-living challenges. From early cohorts focused on B2B energy management and consumer lifestyle solutions, Ignition 3.0 has matured into addressing system-level challenges across residential living, spanning safety, wellness, energy efficiency, and community infrastructure. Over three years, it has engaged with 700+ startups and forged deep partnerships with 46+ startups to build, validate, and scale real-world solutions.

About the Panasonic Group

Founded in 1918, and today a global leader in developing innovative technologies and solutions for wide-ranging applications in the consumer electronics, housing, devices, B2B solutions and energy sectors worldwide, the Panasonic Group switched to an operating company system on April 1, 2022 with Panasonic Holdings Corporation serving as a holding company. The Group reported consolidated net sales of 8,458.2 billion yen for the year ended March 31, 2025.

To learn more about the Panasonic Group, please visit: holdings.panasonic/global

About Beyond Next Ventures

Beyond Next Ventures is a leading DeepTech venture capital firm with a decade-long legacy of building and scaling science-driven startups that solve real-world challenges. Headquartered in Japan and expanding its presence in India, the firm is distinguished by its unique operator-first DNA, global market access, and deep cross-border networks spanning Japan, the U.S., and India. The firm is currently launching its first India-focused fund (USD 30–50 million), aiming to be the preferred partner for early-stage DeepTech startups and institutional LPs seeking high-impact, high-return investments. The firm is deeply committed to a future where science meets scale for global good. Beyond Next Ventures does this by investing in startups solving societal challenges in health, climate, and digital infrastructure, and where impact and returns are inherently synergistic.

To learn more about Beyond Next Ventures, please visit: beyondnextventures.com

Ruloi tea, an Assam based startup has launched one of India’s most affordable iced teas made with real tea brews and crafted for today’s discerning consumer seeking mindful refreshments. Launched under the brand name ‘Oji’, the iced teas are available in two delectable flavors-Lemon and Lychee, contain antioxidants and are enriched with Vitamin C, providing smart hydration and taste. The product is currently available in Assam via Drinkoji.com, leading retail outlets, national hypermarket chains, and neighbourhood mom-and-pop stores. It will soon be rolled out on quick-commerce platforms and in select cities across the Northeast and beyond.

Oji Launches Affordable Vitamin-c enriched Iced tea

Oji is one of the winners of Startup Challenge 2024 by Tetra Pak India, in partnership with Startup India, an initiative aimed at fostering innovation in India’s F&B ecosystem. Through the programme, Oji received comprehensive support in product development, mentorship, and commercialization, along with access to Tetra Pak’s Product Development Centre in Chakan for hands-on assistance in product formulation and testing.

Priced at an accessible INR 10 for each 160 ML carton and curated with one of the world’s finest teas naturally sourced from Assam, the product is made for the modern generation that values authentic experiences and mindful consumption. Packaged in convenient, hygienic, ready-to-drink Tetra Pak packaging, the teas are ideal for anyone seeking everyday refreshment with a touch of wellness.

Commenting on the launch, Bijit Sarma, Co-founder, Oji said, “Oji was born in the lush valleys of Assam, the cradle of the world’s finest teas, with a simple vision: to democratize access to healthy, flavorful beverages. We wanted to take the essence of Assam’s tea heritage and present it in a form that resonates with today’s youth – affordable, refreshing, and guilt-free. Every sip of Oji carries the soul of the Northeast, where authenticity meets innovation. With the unwavering support of Tetra Pak and Startup India, we have transformed a local dream into a national offering – proudly Indian in spirit, and global in appeal.”

Sagar Rai Deka, Co-founder, Oji added, “Our journey with Oji is about building a bridge between Assam’s natural wealth and the modern Indian lifestyle. We are committed to proving that a brand from the Northeast can redefine the beverage landscape nationally, by offering a product that’s authentic, functional, and genuinely good for you. Oji represents the future of Indian refreshment- proudly homegrown, sustainable, and made for everyone. We are grateful to the support we received from Tetra Pak and Startup India in bringing our vision to reality.”

“At Tetra Pak, we are deeply committed to nurturing India’s fast-evolving beverage innovation ecosystem. Oji Iced Tea is a perfect example of how passion and purpose can come together to create something truly refreshing - rooted in local heritage, yet globally relevant. Through the Startup Challenge, we are proud to have supported Oji’s journey from concept to shelf, providing access to our global expertise, paper-based packaging, and product development capabilities. Our goal remains clear - to empower homegrown innovators who are redefining the beverage industry,” Cassio Simoes, MD, Tetra Pak South Asia, commented.

Sanjiv Singh, Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Startup India said, “India’s startup ecosystem has become one of the most dynamic in the world, with over 180,000+ recognised startups across 770+ districts (as of August 2025). Nearly 52% of them are from tier-2 and 3 cities.

Home-grown startups are therefore in a unique position to combine global best practices with local insights, creating products that resonate with modern Indian consumers and push India’s reputation as a hub for food & beverage innovation. We are proud to support initiatives like Tetra Pak’s Start-Up Challenge and remain committed to fostering an ecosystem where these startups can scale, generate meaningful employment, and help India capture even greater value from its innovation landscape.”

Blending authentic tea brews with great taste and affordability, Oji represents a new era of mindful refreshment. Over the coming months, Oji plans to gradually expand its footprint beyond the Northeast, bringing its refreshing, iced teas to consumers across India through both modern and traditional retail channels.

About Oji Iced Tea
Oji Iced Tea is a next-generation ready-to-drink beverage brand from Ruloi Tea, founded by Bijit Sarma and Sagar Rai Deka – two entrepreneurs inspired by the tea-growing heritage of Assam and driven by the mission to make smart refreshment both delightful and accessible. Rooted in authenticity, Oji reimagines the timeless tradition of Assam tea for a new generation that seeks flavour, freshness, and conscious living. Every carton of Oji embodies the brand’s philosophy – authenticity, taste and affordability.

Backed by the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) and DST (Department of Science and Technology), Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) at IIT Bombay was established as a Section 8 not-for-profit company to advance translational research and technology-driven entrepreneurship. The Hub works across sectors such as healthcare, BFSI, agriculture, Industry 5.0, smart infrastructure, and education, translating innovation into practical outcomes that serve both industry and society.

Through ATMAN 3.0, TIH at IIT Bombay is deepening its engagement with the HealthTech ecosystem, helping innovators bring research-based medical solutions to market.

Current cohort includes 13 ventures addressing critical challenges across medical devices, digital health, assistive care, and clinical monitoring. Prezitec Health Private Limited has created Precigo, a snap-on needle tracking system that enhances precision during ultrasound-guided interventions. Shitashii Innovations has developed Emokeigo, a flexible, non-invasive device for speech-impaired patients. ATTOX Research Laboratories brings AMRIT, a rapid antimicrobial resistance testing solution targeting infections that claim millions of lives each year. Queliz Lifetech is advancing UltraHand, a robotic rehabilitation device aiding stroke and paralysis recovery. Brela Innovations has built Naibra, smart breast health monitoring pads promoting early detection of breast cancer. Intecog Logistech is introducing Thermadog, a temperature and theft monitoring solution for pharmaceutical logistics. Raycura Medical Technologies offers BETTER, a rehabilitation platform designed for post-stroke therapy. Saintiant Technologies has developed Vitus, a portable vital health monitoring system to check cardiac and metabolic health. DeepFacts Private Limited presents proRITHM, an AI-powered wearable platform for real-time patient monitoring. MicroHeal focuses on managing chronic gut disorders through a digital therapeutic approach. Miraii.ai has designed a voice-enabled smart ring for seniors to detect falls and trigger immediate alerts. Mythri MedTech Solutions has developed Vitals Care Pro, addressing cardio-metabolic diseases through continuous vitals tracking. Kode Blue Technologies introduces BLU+, an emergency care solution strengthening response systems across smaller cities.

Speaking about the initiative, Mr Kiran Shesh, CEO, Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) at IIT Bombay, said, “ATMAN 3.0 is designed to accelerate India’s HealthTech innovators from research to real-world impact. These entrepreneurs are addressing critical challenges that affect millions - ranging from access to diagnostics and rehabilitation to emergency response and chronic care. Our role is to provide structured mentorship, regulatory guidance, and investor access, enabling their technologies to scale responsibly. By creating a clear pipeline from prototype to commercialization, TIH IIT Bombay aims to strengthen India’s innovation ecosystem and position IIT Bombay as a leading hub for next-generation healthcare technologies.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Hardik Joshi, COO of Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) at IIT Bombay said, “ATMAN 3.0 is not just an accelerator, but a launchpad empowering Health-tech founders to innovate responsibly and scale with purpose. With a mission to cultivate an ecosystem where technology and patient-centric outcomes converge to shape a healthier future for India, we at TIH IIT Bombay aim to encourage the transformation of early prototypes into market-ready solutions, via tailored mentorship and strategic support. We are extremely delighted at hosting the third edition of ATMAN and we look forward to more such opportunities as we move towards a Viksit Bharat.”

The programme spans eight modules covering market discovery, product development, business strategy, financial planning, regulatory readiness, and investor engagement. Startups receive continuous mentorship from domain experts, clinicians, and business professionals, ensuring that innovation is balanced with clinical and commercial viability.

The last day of the program; the Demo Day on January 9, 2026 will feature startup pitches alongside discussions on investment trends, regulatory frameworks, and emerging technology models in healthcare. It will also serve as a platform for portfolio startups from earlier TIH IIT Bombay programmes to engage investors for follow-on funding and partnerships. Dedicated networking spaces will facilitate collaboration between founders, investors, and industry stakeholders, ensuring meaningful dialogue that extends beyond the event.

As India looks towards Viksit Bharat 2047, ATMAN 3.0 reinforces TIH-IIT Bombay ’s mission of building a sustainable bridge between research and enterprise. By supporting innovators through every stage, from concept to commercialization, the Hub continues to strengthen India’s position in global HealthTech development.

About TIH IIT Bombay

The Technology Innovation Hub for Translational Research on IoT and IoE (TIH‑IoT) at IIT Bombay is a Section 8 not‑for‑profit company established under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber‑Physical Systems (NM‑ICPS). The Hub is dedicated to advancing translational research, entrepreneurship, and innovation across sectors including healthcare, BFSI, agriculture, Industry 5.0, smart infrastructure, and education. By fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and government, TIH IIT Bombay  enables innovators to transform research into scalable solutions that serve both society and the economy. Through initiatives like the ATMAN accelerator, TIH IIT Bombay is building a sustainable bridge between concept and commercialization, positioning IIT Bombay as a central hub for next‑generation technologies.

Website - tihiitb.org/programs/innovation-entrepreneurship-development/atman-3/

Instagram - www.instagram.com/tih_iitb/

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/company/technology-innovation-hub/

MCats backing the boldest female founders

In an ecosystem where only 15% of funding goes to women founders, MCats is taking a decisive stand. With 35% female founders across its portfolio and women leading from within its own ranks, MCats is actively investing in an inclusive future. Thrive 9.0 is designed to scale these ventures from solving real-world Indian problems to achieving global impact.

MCats backing the boldest female founders

Introducing the Thrive 9.0 Cohort: Women Founders Driving Innovation

The current batch features visionary women founders building meaningful, scalable, and culture-rooted solutions across high-growth sectors:

Affordable Fertility & Healthcare Access, Founder -  Dr. Renu Sharma, Elara IVF
An Affordable chain expanding access to trusted fertility care, piloting in Rajasthan.

AI Sales Agent & Workflow Automation, Founder - Ruchika Sureka, Tvara
Private AI agents that automate sales workflows, boosting productivity and learning continuously.

Global Enablement Platform & MSME Growth, Founder - Mallika Jain, Leap Ahead India
Helping Indian MSMEs and founders access global buyers, funding, markets, and mentors.

AI for Mental Health & Memory Preservation, Founder - Neha Rajpurohit, Nostalgia Pages
A self-publishing memory capsule brand, preserving priceless school and college memories and community culture.

AI Fintech & Explainable Intelligence, Founder - Priyanka Bairathi, InteliQuant AI
InteliQuant AI empowers CXOs with real-time anomaly detection and AI enabled assurance that safeguards profitability and eliminates hidden losses.

AI Legal Tech & Compliance Solution, Founder - Rupal Mathur, Rhett
Reimagining legal compliance as a straightforward, accessible, and affordable process for startups and businesses.

 Investing in Impact: Opportunity Without Bias

“We do not only speak about women empowerment — we invest in it,” said Sushil Sharma, CEO & Founder - Marwari Catalysts Group.

“These women founders come from real India, solve real challenges, and are ready for real scale. Their success proves that innovation has no gender — and leadership has no boundaries.”

Marwari Catalysts is one of the partner organisations Women in Innovation Science & Entrepreneurship (WISE), an initiative led by BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Women Empowerment Vertical (BRICS CCI WE).

According to Ms.  Ruby Sinha, President, BRICS CCI WE and Programme Lead, BRICS CCI WE WISE, “Innovation,  collaboration and access to funding are core pillars of the WISE initiative and we commend Marwari Catalysts for their efforts to empower women entrepreneurs with a focus on technology, thus advancing the cause of inclusive innovation for creating a sustainable global economy.’’

Divya Multani Jain, Partner - Marwari Catalysts Group, added, “MCats understands India beyond metros, and together, we are building solutions rooted in culture and community, giving them a global platform.”

MCats’ mission for women-led ventures is clear:

• Discovered early in non-metro ecosystems.

• Backed with capital and conviction (seeking co-investors to accelerate the journey).

• Supported with networks that accelerate 5-10x scale in revenue and valuation.

• Celebrated as powerful leaders shaping tomorrow.

Ankita Sachdeva, Joint Director - BRICS CCI, highlighted: “With the joint efforts of BRICS and MCats, we will provide domestic and global fund, exposure, and network access from the international market. We are happy to collaborate with the MCats team and the founders.”

We extend an invitation to strategic co-investors and global ecosystem enablers whose vision aligns with supporting women entrepreneurship and scaling their impact. Become a member of the MCats Club to deploy capital with conviction and actively participate in our mission to champion diverse founders.

About Marwari Catalysts (MCats)-

Marwari Catalysts Group (MCats) is one of India’s fastest-growing startup ecosystem players (Accelerator and Venture Studio). Headquartered in Jodhpur, with regional offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Jaipur, MCats manages a SEBI-approved CAT-I AIF.

MCats is actively supporting 100+ early-stage ventures across 20+ cities, backed by mentors with skin in the game. Its portfolio drives inclusion with 35% women-led startups and has already created 5,000+ jobs and successfully completed 11+ exits.

Welcome to MCats Family!

Namma Bengaluru Challenge '26 Shortlists Top 15 Finalists from Record 600 Applications to Tackle Urban Climate Crisis

The finalists were chosen from a record-breaking pool of close to 600 registrations, demonstrating the nation’s vibrant entrepreneurial response to environmental sustainability. A technical evaluation now awaits the shortlisted startups, with an expert technical jury meticulously assessing each of the 15 startups ahead of the final round. The top selected startups will then advance to the final stage, where they will pitch live before a distinguished final jury on January 24, 2026, to compete for implementation grants of up to INR 25 lakhs each.

A Rigorous Selection Process
The journey to the top 15 involved a meticulous evaluation by Social Alpha. The criteria framework in which the evaluation happened were areas such as innovation, go-to-market strategy, implementation, etc. The technical jury will play a very crucial role in assessing each of the 15 shortlisted startups before the final round. The technical jury comprises:

• Vineet Prasani, Chief Information Officer at Social Alpha

• Vishwanath S, Director at Biome Environmental Solutions

• Sridhar L, Head of ESG at Bangalore International Airport Limited 

• Jagan Shah, CEO at The Infravision Foundation

• Aarathi Kumar, Senior Manager, Executive Office at WRI India

• Suhail Rahman, Managing Director and CEO at CoEvolve Estates 

The application breakdown highlighted the city's key concerns: Waste Management (44%), Water & Sanitation (32%), Sustainable Construction (18%), and Air Pollution (6%)

The Final Showdown & a Consortium for Impact
The finalists will present their solutions to the Final Jury comprising:

• Prashanth Prakash (Co-Founder and Chairperson, UnboxingBLR)

• Malini Goyal (Co-Founder and CEO, UnboxingBLR)

• Manoj Kumar (Founder, Social Alpha)

• Hari Marar (Managing Director and CEO, BIAL)

• Pavitra Shankar (Managing Director, Brigade Group)

The winning startups will receive grant funding of INR 25 lakhs and crucial support for 6-month pilot deployments with government, private sector, and civil society partners in Bengaluru.

"NBC '26 bridges the critical gap between innovation and implementation. The Top 15 represent solutions with the highest potential for real-world impact in Bengaluru. We are now one step closer to deploying these technologies on the ground, in partnership with government and private stakeholders," Prashanth Prakash, Co-Founder and Chairperson, UnboxingBLR.

"The overwhelming quality and volume of applications for NBC '26 signals a powerful shift. Innovators are actively building the toolkit for urban climate resilience. Selecting only 15 startups from nearly 600 brilliant ideas was a formidable task, and we congratulate those moving forward to the final pitch," Malini Goyal, Co-Founder and CEO, UnboxingBLR.

“The Namma Bengaluru Challenge reflects our commitment to advancing science and technology-led solutions that can meaningfully shape Bengaluru’s urban transition. In anchoring the technical jury process, our role has been to ensure a rigorous evaluation framework, one that prioritises solution robustness, pilot feasibility, impact potential, and scalability, while drawing on the expertise of distinguished subject matter experts in the ecosystem. This stage is crucial in surfacing solutions that are both visionary and deployable in real-world conditions, ahead of the final jury deliberations,” Manoj Kumar, Founder, Social Alpha.

“Bangalore has been home to many a startup and has long served as India’s natural sandbox for innovation. As India rises as a global startup hub, the city is at the heart of it, offering founders not just access to talent but an entire collaborative ecosystem. NBC presents a unique opportunity to plug into a platform designed to bring together government, corporates and entrepreneurs to create solutions that address local challenges. With climate change and unplanned rapid growth impacting the future of cities, aligning innovation with environmental responsibility is imperative. As an organisation with deep roots in Bangalore, Brigade is focused on creating sustainable spaces that serve the needs of our individual customers and community at large. There is nothing more important than channelling this collective effort to build a future-ready Bangalore,” Pavitra Shankar, Managing Director, Brigade Group.

NBC '26 is powered by a strong consortium of partners committed to systemic change:

Challenge Partners

• Bangalore International Airport Limited

• Brigade Group

Program Partners

• Bengaluru Climate Action Cell (Climate Action Partner)

• WRI India (Knowledge Partner)

• Brigade REAP

• CoEvolve Estates (Pilot Partner)

• Biome Environmental Solutions (Pilot Partner)

• GoodEarth (Pilot Partner)

About UnboxingBLR
UnboxingBLR (UBLR) is a Bengaluru-focused collaborative platform dedicated to celebrating and shaping the city’s culture and identity. Founded in 2023 by Prashanth Prakash and Malini Goyal, UBLR brings together people, communities, and institutions to co-create Bengaluru’s story, serving as a city champion, idea catalyst, and collaborative platform.

UBLR drives initiatives such as the Namma Bengaluru Challenge, an accelerator that supports startups and changemakers tackling urban challenges; BLR Hubba, a city-wide festival celebrating art and culture; the annual We Are City Data Report, a data-driven snapshot of how citizens experience and engage with Bengaluru; and Code to Culture, a podcast exploring the city and its people. Together, these initiatives highlight citizen-led innovation and showcase Bengaluru’s cultural vibrancy in action.

For more information, please log on to www.unboxingblr.com.

Marwari Catalysts Group, under its Venture Studio Model, has entered the affordable IVF space in India with the launch of Elara IVF - a fertility centre committed to affordable, accessible focused in tier2-3 cities. This marks the fourth healthcare start-up in MCats Group’s portfolio, alongside Sarathi Healthcare, Nuskha Kitchen, and One Dose.
 

Marwari Catalysts enters affordable IVF with Elara IVF under its Venture Studio model
 

Elara IVF, Founder and COO, Dr Renu Sharma, is known for providing affordable IVF and ICSI treatments with a strong focus on transparency and patient education. This reflects a shared vision - to make quality fertility care more accessible to couples across India.
 

Sushil Sharma, Founder & CEO of Marwari Catalysts Group, said, “The global fertility market is a massive opportunity, yet affordability continues to be the biggest barrier. We are solving this challenge by ensuring high-quality IVF care reaches families not just in metros but in smaller cities. We will also attract global medical tourism for IVF. Marwari Catalysts Group has always been seen as the brand ambassador for Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities of India, and therefore we have started our pilot in Jodhpur and Ajmer.”
 

Dr Renu Sharma, stated, “Having worked with multiple IVF centres (Zivia, Apex, EHCC, CK Birla Hospital), I realized there is a massive opportunity and significant gap - especially in smaller cities where access to affordable IVF is limited, with the right business model. We aim to build India’s largest affordable IVF chain. We have already launched centres in Jodhpur (Dr Nimisha Balara) and Ajmer (Dr Mahiraj Gaur), and within the coming year, we are targeting 20+ centres across Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities in next 12 months.”
 

Dr. Seema Chaudhary, Founder & Managing Director, Seema Finchem Industry (Mumbai) and Advisory Board Member at Elara IVF, said, “Elara IVF offers an industrial level of discipline, efficiency, standardization and transparency into fertility care. This approach is exactly what India needs to make IVF truly affordable and rapidly scalable across small cities ensuring that high quality reproductive care becomes accessible to families everywhere.”
 

Gajendra Singh, Director of Elara IVF, added, “With Marwari Catalysts Group’s support, we aim to expand our reach and continue making fertility care simpler and more affordable for everyone who needs it.”
 

As India’s healthcare sector continues to prioritize access and affordability, this initiative underscores Marwari Catalysts Group’s growing commitment to supporting meaningful innovation for Bharat.
 

About Marwari Catalysts
Marwari Catalysts Group (MCats) is one of India’s fastest-growing startup ecosystem player (Accelerator and Venture Studio), with mentors with skin in the game supporting 100+ early-stage ventures across 20+ cities backed by SEBI-approved CAT-I AIF. MCats provide capital, mentorship, and global market access to founders. Its portfolio has already created 5,000+ jobs while driving inclusion through 35% women-led startups and successfully done 11+ exits. We are headquartered in Jodhpur with its regional offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Jaipur.